X 8495 
124 S8 
opy 1 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




027 251 393 # 



BX 8495 II 
.M24 S8 

Copy 1 SERMON 



ON THE DEATH OF 



THE REV. WILLIAM M'KENDREE, 



SENIOR BISHOP OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH: 



DELIVERED AT THE REGIUEST OF THE 



GENERAL CONFERENCE, 



IN THE CITY OF CINCINNATI, MAY II, 1S36. 



BY REV. JOSHUA SOULE. 



PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE, 




PUBLISHED BY T. MASON A1^B'*^^A-NEj 



FOR THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AT THE CONFERENCE OFFICE, 
200 MULBERRY-STREET. 



J. Collord, Printer. 

1836. 



SERMON 



ON THE 

DEATH OF REV. WILLIAM M'KENDREE. 



" Remember them who have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the 
word of God ; whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation : 
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever," Heb. xiii, 7, 8. 

When, in the providence of God, great and good men are 
removed from the world, and from those relations they have 
sustained to their fellow men, to their eternal rewards, it is 
highly proper that suitable respect should be paid to their me- 
mory, and that their names and their virtues should be handed 
down to posterity, as examples for the instruction and improve- 
ment of succeeding generations. The practice of all civilized 
nations, from the commencement of the organization of society 
down to the present period, is in accordance with this sentiment. 
Nor is it easy to calculate the influence which the opinions and 
the examples of men of generations, and of ages long since passed 
away, continue to exert over the habits thinking and action 
of the present race ; and which they will not cease to exert 
through the successive periods of future time. The Jews were 
distinguished for their sacred monuments, designed to perpetuate 
the memory of their patriarchs, their kings, and their prophets. 
But the light of the Christian era affords the purest and most 
perfect examples of all which, in regard either to sentiment or 
action^ is worthy to be perpetuated, in fadeless records, to the 
end of time. One of the pecuhar excellencies of the New Tes- 
tament Scriptures is the moral portraiture of the most pure, 
illustrious, and benevolent characters which ever enlightened 
and adorned oar world. And these characters were every where 
exhibited as patterns for our imitation, as examples both of our 
faith and practice. But when the mind surveys the simplicity 
and beauty of truth, and the uncompromising virtue, and un- 
sullied integrity of the ministers and followers of Jesus of Naza- 
reth, as portrayed in the records of the apostolic age, and having 
perceived the majesty and grandeur of the admirable picture 
passes onward through a succession of following ages, the con- 
trast becomes a matter of melancholy and painful reflection. 

Scarcely had the apostles of Jesus Christ, who had received 
their commission and their instructions from the lips of their 
adorable Master, and their immediate successors in the grand 
work of evangelizing the world, "finished their course," and 
entered upon their eternal rewards, before the system of truth 



4 



SERMON ON THS DEATH OF 



which they had published, and the plan of its proftiiilo^ation by 
which they had been guided, were subject to innovations in the 
hands of those who came after ihem. A single century, from 
the day of pentecost, had not passed away before the Gnostic 
heresy had invaded the infant Church, and corrupted the pure 
fountains of Gospel truth. So early did the ^'wisdom of men,^^ 
in the form of a subtle, intricate, and superstitious philosophy, 
mingle with the sublime doctruies of the Christian revelation 
the absurd dogmas of " oriental science.''^ Doctors soon appear, 
not to preach to their congreg-ations the pure, unadulterated 
"word of God;" but to "teach for doctrine" the unmeaning jar- 
gon of their respective schools. In the progress of these corrup- 
tions of primitive Christianity, other evils sprung up, and min- 
gled their influence in demolishing that simple and beautiful 
structure which had been modeled by infinite wisdom, and reared 
up under the immediate superintendence of Jesus and his apos- 
tles. 

This work of earthly ivisdo?n and policy had not continued 
long, before the relations established by the Christian institutes 
between pastors and their flocks — between ministers of the Gos- 
pel and those converted to the faith of Christ through their mi- 
nistry, assumed a character widely different from that which 
w^as formed by the original charter. The superior clergy, giddy 
with the metaphysicalspeculationsof their favourite philosophy, 
and corrupted by the "love of the world," soon set up claims to 
power and rule unauthorized by their "holy vocation ;" seeking 
rather the authority of the civil rulers, to Lord it over God's 
heritage, than that moral influence which was founded in the 
principles and obligations of a "kingdom which was not of this 
world." A dark age ensued in which the light of evangelical 
truth was well nigh extinguished ; and if it shone at all, was 
confined almost exclusively to the humble and obscure, both of 
the clergy and laity. In such a state of things, it is not surpris- 
ing that homage should be paid to men, which was due only to 
God ; and that the simplicity of the apostolic direction to the 
Church at Jerusalem to engrave the virtues and labours of their 
pastors upon the table of their memory, and to regard them in 
their fidelity as patterns for their imitation, should give place to 
pompous titles, splendid temples, gorgeous pictures, sculptured 
marble, and idolatrous festivals. To cap this climax of usurpa- 
tion and impiety, the professed heralds of a Saviour born in a 
manger, and crucified upon a cross, claimed the prerogative of 
deposing civil princes, and setting their feet upon the necks of 
kings. And not contented with the proud pretension to the right 
of universal dictation in matters belonging to the civil empire, 
they proclaimed themselves God's vicegerent^ upon earth, and 
mtercessors for men before the throne of Heaven. 

In casting our eye over this succession of gloomy ages, dis- 
tinguished chiefly by such melancholy corruptions of the purest 
systeni of religion and morals which the world ever saw, it 



REV. WILLIAM m'kKNDREE. 



5 



affords us peculiar satisfaction to perceive, at different periods, 
some rays of heavenly liofht penetrating the o^loom of that spirit- 
ual darkness which liad covered the face of the earth. Here and 
there a luminous spot appears upon the dark and dismal abyss. 
Here and there a daring spirit, a bold defender of the faith of 
Jesus, rose up hy the insjnratioit of the Almighty^ and gave 
" lucid proof that the " wisdom of the world was foohshness 
with God." 

The morning of the sixteenth century was a day spring from 
on high to the Church in the wilderness, and an era full of hope 
and of promise to the benighted nations. Who can doubt that 
Luther was raised up by the special agency of God to counter- 
act the corruptions and blasphemies of the Church of Rome ? 

But the work of this great and distinguished Saxon reformer 
was but in part a restoration of what had been lost in the lapse 
of those ages of apostasy from the doctrines and morals of Chris- 
tianity which had preceded. Many of the abominations of the 
papal hierarchy were brought to light — the blasphemous claims 
of the sovereign pontiff' to grant indulgences, remove penalties, 
and remit sins of all sorts, were exposed and denounced v/ith a 
clearness of argument and zeal of moral courage, worthy of the 
cause of truth, and of the illustrious agents who were engaged 
in its promotion. Learning and philosophy, always favourable 
to the progress of the Gospel, when guided by the light of the 
revelation of God, were directed into pure channels, and ren- 
dered efficient auxiliaries in the advancement of the reformation. 
Universities became the seats of theological discussion, which 
seldom, if ever, closed without obvious advantage to the cause 
of the reformers. Princes, long subject to the papal domination, 
wakened up by the uncompromising Saxon, began to think and 
speak with freedom on matters of faith and practice. In the 
progress of the reformation, numerous persons of distinction and 
influence were employed by the Divine Providence, as instru- 
ments in removing the " works of darkness," and repairing the 
ruins of the beautiful temple of Christianity. But while this 
work was in progress there were more outside than inside work- 
men ; and the master builders were not always agreed with re- 
gard to the plan which should be pursued, the materials which 
should be used, or the workmen who should be employed in com- 
pleting the noble superstructure. In such a state of things it 
should not be considered marvellous that a portion of "hay, and 
wood, and stubble," should be mixed with the "gold, and silver, 
and precious stones ;" and that more regard should be paid to 
the exterior form, scaffolding, and oiitwor^ks oi thQ building, than 
to the perfection and beauty of the interior workmanship. 

Although this, and the succeeding century was a glorious era 
in the history of the Church, presenting a grand constellation of 
" burning and shining lights" in the cause of truth, yet it is to be 
regretted that the Church and state were so incorporated as to 
produce an unhappy effect on the religious state of the clergy^ 



6 



SERMON ON THE DEATH OF 



and consequently to hinder, in some measure, the progress of 
Christian piety. Prelates of the reformed Church, while they 
held in just abhorrence the claims and pretensions of the papal 
see. saw nothing inconsistent with the religion of a crucified Sa- 
viour, or with their caUing as his ministers, in being themselves 
" lords temj)oral^^ as well as spiritual. Whatever might have 
been the external state of the different branches of the Church, 
at the commencement of the eighteenth century, it is very obvi- 
ous that there was a great deficiency on the part of the ministry. 
While the prescribed forms of religion were regarded with scru- 
pulous observance, the distinguishing doctrines of the Gospel 
were too seldom proclaimed, and too feebly enforced. The re- 
sult was a general defect in vital godliness, and a corresponding 
laxity in moral disciphne. It was in the midst of such a state 
of things, that the great and blessed revival of religion com- 
menced at Oxford, early in this century. 

The Rev. John Wesley was the chief instrument in the rise 
and early progress of this revival. The extraordinary acuteness 
and strength of his mental powers, the variety and depth of his 
learning, his moral courage, his persevering zeal, and the strict 
purity of his life, all combined, qualified him, in an eminent de- 
gree, for this great work. 

And here it should be remembered that it was not the articles 
of faith, or the liturgy of the Enghsh Church, with which Mr. 
Wesley contended, or which he desired to change or reform ; 
but he was rather the firm defender of both. And why should 
we who acknowledge him, under God, as the founder of that 
religious body of which we are members, place ourselves in oppo- 
sition to either ? But while this great and good man was well 
satisfied with the doctrine and government of the establishment, 
he clearly saw the extensive defect of experimental and practical 
religion, both with the clergy and laity. To remove this defect, 
and restore the principles and blessings of primitive Christianity 
to the Church, were the great objects of his studies and his la- 
bours. But the era of which we now speak, embracing the his- 
tory of Wesley, and those who were "workers together with 
him," is distinctly marked by several very important points. 

Mr. Wesley, notwithstanding the prejudices of his education, 
became fully convinced that bishops and presbyters were the 
same order in the primitive Church ; and consequently that the 
doctrine of succession and exclusive ri^ht of ordination, existing- 
in the bishop, as maintained by many of the prelates of the Eng- 
lish hierarchy, were not founded in the constitution of the Chris- 
tian Church, or warranted by any practice in the uncorrupted 
period of her history. In addition to this conviction, the provi- 
dence of God, in an extraordinary manner, led Mr. Wesley to 
perceive that a Divine call to the work of preaching the Gospel, 
and the qualifications for this holy vocation, were not confined 
to those who were " regularly educated for the sacred ofiice 
but that in the wisdom of Him, who " seeth not as man seeth," 



REV. WILLIAM m'kENDREE. 



7 



the ••'foolish things of the world were frequently chosen to con- 
found the wise."" ^ Hence his admirable and truly Scriptural test 
of those who think they are moved by the Holy Ghost to preach. 

The employment of lay preachers.*" that is. persons who were 
neither educated for the ministry, nor in the clerical orders in 
the established Church, forms aVery prominent and important 
feature of the "Wesleyan system, which, by the blessing- of God, 
has been productive of the most extensive and happy results in 
the four quarters of the globe. Another characteristic of this 
system is the organization and establishment of an effic.ieiit iti- 
nerant ministry, in conformity to that command, •' Go ye into 
all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature and in 
accordance with the practice of the apostles, and their immediate 
successors in the work of evangelizing the earth. As the com- 
mencement of this era in the history of the reformed Churches 
was distinguished by the revival of the pure doctrines and moral 
discipline of the Gospel, so its extension, and almost unparalleled 
progress, have been attended by the powerful influences of the 
Holy Spirit. To turn men from '• darkness to light, and from 
the power of Satan unto God :"' and to build them up in that 
'■holiness without which no man shall see the Lord/"' is the 
grand design of the preachinsr of the Gospel. And to accom- 
plish this design. Christ must be preached in all his offices. The 
whole system of his religion must be proclaimed. Its doctrines, 
precepts, promises, and threatenings must be clearly set forth, 
and enforced. The whole must be brought home to the hearts 
and consciences of the hearers. Sinners must be made to feel 
their sinfulness and guilt : and to know that salvation is by 
'■grace through faith" alone. 

These are, and have been from the beginning, the leading 
features of the "Wesleyan revival. In its rise and progress it has 
enlisted the influence of a considerable number of men, distin- 
guished as much for their extraordinary talents, and their pro- 
found learnino-, as for the depth of their piety, the purity of their 
lives, and the extent and usefulness of their labours. But byfar the 
greater part of those ministers who have been honoured of God, 
as instruments in the advancement of this great and extensive 
revival of primitive Christianity, have been men who made no 
pretensions to talents of a superior order, or to the peculiar ad- 
vantages of learning and science. They have been called, in. 
the wisdom of the Divine counsels, from almost every profession 
and occupation in life. Thus has it been shown, in this latter 
day, as well as at the beginning of the Gospel dispensation, that 
the proud pretensions of reason and philosophy, however they 
may be viewed by men, are of little account with God. And that 
the success of the - preachino- of the cross"' essentially depends 
upon the doctrine of that promise, - Lo I am with you always^ 
even unto the end of the icorldP Among the instruments thus 
called and qualified by the great Head of the Church, in the 
progress of this w^ork. William M'Kendreej that beloved minister 



8 



SERMON ON THE DEATH OF 



of Jesus Christ, whose Christian and ministerial character this 
discourse is designed to exhibit as an example for those who 
shall come after, occupies an elevated and distinguished station. 

In my attempt to accomphsh this object, I shall endeavour, 
first, to point out the character which the apostle has given of a 
ChTistian pastor, or minister. And secondly, show wherein this 
character has been sustained and exemplified in the Christian 
life, ministerial labours, and ofiicial oversight of the late lamented 
senior bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

I. The words of our text lead us back in our meditations and 
researches to the original fountains of Gospel truth. They point 
us to the origin of a system which claims to be of Divine appoint- 
ment, and designed to be perpetuated to the end of time. They 
direct our attention to the first Church, or assembly, ever orga- 
nized on the principles of the Christian institutes — the Church 
at Jerusalem. In this city, prophets had pointed to the Messiah, 
and proclaimed the laws and the conquests of his kingdom. Here 
Jesus Christ, the author of our salvation, in his own jjerson, had 
taught the doctrines of that kingdom. Here he was persecuted, 
arrested, crucified. Here he slept in the tomb, and here he rose 
triumphant from the dominion of death and the grave. At this 
city he directed his chosen apostles to remain " until they were 
endued with power from on high," as an essential quahfication 
for the work he had appointed them to do. Here they received 
that power in the promised descent of the Holy Ghost, on the 
day of pentecost. Here the fountain was opened, and from here 
the "law went forth," and the word of the Lord flowed out. In 
this city the apostles of Jesus, who had received their instruc- 
tions from the lips of their Divine Master, planted the Jirst Chris- 
tian Church. Probably we have in the organization of this 
Church as perfect a model as the world has ever seen. The rela- 
tion and reciprocal duties of the pastor and his flock, of the mi- 
nister and "those over whom he was appointed minister," are 
set forth in the view given of this Church with a simplicity and 
beauty strikingly characteristic of the purest age of Christianity. 

It is not pretended that the j)recise formula observed in the 
Church at Jerusalem is essential to the existence of every Chris- 
tian community. Indeed, it appears highly probable, that such 
internal regulations and external forms as were not essential to 
the doctrines, order, and moral discipline of the " household of 
faith," as laid down by Christ and his inspired apostles, were 
varied in the primitive Churches, as change of place or circum- 
stances might require. But as the Church is the " body of Christ," 
and " the temple of the living God," the preservation of an order 
of ministers appointed by Christ, holding steadfastly the funda- 
mental doctrines of the Christian revelation, the preaching of the 
pure Word of God, and the administration of the disciphne and 
ordinances of the Gospel institution, are essential to its very 
existence. Without these there can be no living Church, no 
assembly or community pleasing and acceptable to God. All 



REV. WILLIAM m'kENDREE. 



9 



associations professedly Christian, in which all. or any of these 
points are totally wanting, or materially defective, have either 
never been formed "according to the will of our Lord Jesus 
Christ," or they have fallen and become apostate. In view of 
these prerequisites as the essential constituents of a Christian 
Church, we observe, 1. That the ministers of the Gospel^ in 
the apostolic age^ vjere distinguished hy their special calling 
to the y;ork of the ministry. No one can have carefully exa- 
mined the history of the Divine Saviour as furnished in the holy 
evangehsts, without having perceived that the preaching of the 
Gospel" has been ordained as the means of faith and salvation, 
and as the chief instrument by which the Christian cause is to 
extend, and finally cover the whole earth. It is equally plain 
from the same records, that the appointment of the agents by 
whom this work is to be carried on and finally completed, is the 
exclusive prerogative of Jesus Christ. A prerogative which he 
has never delegated — which he now holds in his own hands, 
and will continue to hold till the end of time. He commenced 
the exercise of this authority in the selection of his first disciples 
to attend his person and receive his instructions, preparatory to 
the work which was afterward assigned them. He continued 
the exercise of it by sending out these disciples at different times, 
on errands of mercy, while he continued upon earth. But the 
most signal exhibition of that authority was made after his resur- 
rection, and immediately before he ascended up into heaven, to 
take possession of the mediatorial government at the right hand 
of the Father. This was a period in the history of human sal- 
vation pregnant with interests of the deepest concern to man. 
It was a pomt in time when the Prince of Life, Immanuel, God 
with us," gave his last and fullest instructions in regard to the 
means and manner of the promulgation of his kingdom upon 
earth. His rio^ht of lesfislation and o:overnment was asserted: 
"All power is given unto me, both in heaven and in earth." 
The commission given to the apostles, who were present on the 
occasion, and to all the true ministers of the Gospel salvation, is 
declared fo be by virtue of this right. Go ye, therefore^ and 
teach all nations," (fee. " And lo ! I am with you always, even 
unto the end of the world." Who can doubt that both the right 
of appointment, and the annexed promise of perpetual aid from 
the continual presence of Christ, embrace the succession of the 
Christian ministry through all future time ? 

The principles which the great Head of the Church had esta- 
blished at this memorable period, and which were to remain 
unchanged through all the succeeding ages of the world, were 
strikingly illustrated and confirmed shortly afterward on the day 
of pentecost. To the commission, and special instructions with 
regard to its execution, was now added the gift of the Holy Ghost, 
as the fulfilment of the promise of the Father. By his agency 
the chosen apostles were " endued vv^ith power from on high." 
And were thus qualified to go forth in their Master's employ- 

2 



10 



SERMON OX THE DEATH OF 



ment, with zeal and authority^ which their adversaries were not 
able to gainsay or resist. It was the zeal of conviction : it was- 
the authority of truth ; it was the power of God. As the work 
advanced, others were called to participate in the blessed employ- 
ment. But in no instance was any one admitted to labour in 
this vineyard without proof of his being speciaUy cahed and cho- 
sen of God, It is worthy of our particular attention^ that when 
the apostles and disciples were assembled at Jerusalem, after the 
ascension of their Divine Master^ and before the descent of the 
Holy Ghost, in filling the vacancy in the apostolic college; occa- 
sioned by the apostasy of Judas, they made no pretensions to 
any right or authority to determine on the person who should 
fiU that holy office. Tney v/ere fully persuaded of the exclusive 
right of Him v;ho had chosen them at first, and who had so 
recently assured them that all authority in heaven and earth 
was in his hands. And in this persuasion, having selected two 
from their little company, "they prayed, and said, Thou Lord^ 
which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two 
thou hast chosen." 

The answer was given by lot, and he whom God had chosen 
" was numbered with the eleven apostles." This is the last in- 
stance of the use of the lot recorded in the Holy Scriptures, A 
different method, by which God s election of men for the v/ork 
of the ministry might be known, was introduced on the day of 
pentecost, and will remain in the Church till the " consumuiation 
of all things," All true ministers of Jesus Christ have been 
" moved by the Holy Ghost" to preach the everlasting GospeL 
By his influence they have been enlightened and persuaded of 
their holy vocation. And by his ao:ency success has attended 
their labours, and support and comfort administered to their souls 
in all their tribulations. It is, therefore, very meet and right that 
the Church should continually pray that the Lord would pour 
upon all the ministers of his sanctuary the Holy Ghost for the 
office and work to which he has called them. 

The beautiful climax of the apostle in the 14th and 15th verses 
of the 10th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, is an inimitable 
illustration of this doctrine. Salvation is God's free gift both to 
Jews and Gentiles. And this grace God has richly provided in 
the Gospel of his dear Son. And whosoever will call on the 
name of the Lord, shall receive this salvation. " But how shall 
they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how 
shall they believe in hiui of whom they have not heard? and 
how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they 
preach except they be sent ?" The message to be published is 
the Gospel of peace, the word of reconciliation ; glad tidings of 
good things ; and he who publishes it must be sent by its Author. 
A great man has the following admirable remark with reference 
to this message : "None can effectually preach this, unless he 
have a Divine 7nission. The matter must come from God ; and 
the person who proclaims it must have both authority and unc- 



REV. WILLIAM M'KENDREE, 



11 



tion froQi on liio^h." Hence it will appear who are truly in that 
^' order of succession" appointed according- to the will of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Whatever may be the vain pretensions of men, 
those, and those ordy^ who are sent of God, who are moved by 
the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel of the kino;dom of heaven, 
are in this succession. 

2. Being thus called and qualified, the first ministers of the 
Gospel went forth prearMng the word of God." The word 
of God here means the whole system of the Gospel revelation, 
embracinof the doctrines, precepts, and sanctions therein con- 
tained. Especially what appertained to the character, office, and 
work of Jesus Christ, as our Mediator and Saviour. 

One of the peculiar features of the primitive preaching of the 
Gospel word was the purity in which the doctrines of Christ 
were maintained, and taught to the people. The Jewish teachers 
were exceedingly zealous of the traditions of their fathers ; and 
•corrupting the oracles of God, " taught for doctrines the com- 
mandments of men.'' The schools of learning and philosophy 
became the authors and patrons of theories as absurd and con- 
flicting in their principles, as immoral and destructive in their 
tendency. But while " darkness covered the earth, and gross 
darkness the people," the servants of Jesus were holding out the 
lam.p of life, and pointing the nations to the " Lainb of God, who 
taketh away the sin of the world." While the ''Jews required 
a sign, and the Greeks sought after wisdom;" while a corrupt 
and superstitious religion, in alliance with " science falsely so 
called," was enslaving the minds of men with the most dangerous 
errors, and leading them from God and from happiness, these 
unassuming messengers of truth were preachmg "Christ cruci- 
fied — Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." They 
were publishing the narrative of the incarnation, crucifixion, 
and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, and proclaiming salvation 
as God's gracious gift through faith in his name. Yv^hile, after 
all the speculations of reason and philosophy, the nations were 
veiled in uncertainty and doubt, with reg^ard to God, the immor- 
tality of the soul, and a future state of existence, these "un- 
learned" men declared the nature, and attributes, and counsels 
of Jehovah, and showed that " life and immortality were brought 
to lio^ht in the Gospel." But while they preached " the unsearch- 
able riches of Christ," the whole system of doctrine was applied 
to the experimental and practical purposes of life, to renew the 
hearts and regulate the conduct of men. They had received the 
records of the truth of God, and out of those records they did 
not travel, Christ had -specially instructed them to teach the 
nations to observe all things whatsoever he had commanded 
them. In strict conformity to these instructions, their ministry 
was always practical. They " preached" a faith which was unto 
justification ; a faith which confided in all the promises of God ; 
a faith which worked by love, and purified the heart. 

3, The ministers ^f the apostolic age were distil? guished as . 



12 



SERMON ON THE DEATH OP 



well by the extent of their travels and labours, as by the purity 
and simplicity of their doctrines. Their plan of " preachino^ the 
word of God"' was strictly itinerant. In this they had taken the 
example of their Master as their pattern, his authority as their 
commission, and his command as their obligation. Nor does it 
any where appear that they had any other view but to continue 
the operation of this plan, till all the nations of the earth should 
be discipled to Christ, and the knowledge of God be as extensive 
as the influence of the natural sun. It was not the apostles only 
who were thus employed in the extensive promulo^ation of the 
Gospel. The disciples who were dispersed from Jerusalem by 
the persecution which raged at the time of the martyrdom of 
Stephen, went " everywhere preaching the word." Amonof these 
were, doubtless, many of the ''devout men, dwellers at Jerusa- 
lem, out of every nation under heaven," who heard the apostles, 
on the day of pentecost, "speak in their own tongues in which 
they were born, the wonderful works of God." These having 
been converted to the faith of Christ by the preaching of the 
apostles, travelled into their native countries, testifying and 
preaching the things which they had seen and heard. In this 
event the Divine Providence was obviously employed in prepar- 
ing the way for the universal spread of the Gospel. And it is a 
very remarkable and interesting truth, that before the twelve 
chosen apostles had finished their course and entered into the 
joy of their Lord, the " word of God had been preached over a 
great part of the Imown world." Had the purity and simplicity 
of the Christian doctrine and discipline been preserved, and the 
same plan of diffusing its heavenly truths perpetuated till the 
present time, is it not highly probable that the whole earth would 
have been subdued to the dominion of Messiah, and the songs 
of salvation to God and the Lamb, been heard from every nation, 
and kindred, and people, and tongue? 

4. The' first Christian ministers were dead to the world, 
and intent only on promoting the cause of their Divine Master, 
and the salvation of the souls of the people. 

In the administration of the word they preached not them- 
selves. To be the servants and messengers of Christ, and as 
such the servants of all for his sake, were the great objects of 
their pursuit. They uniformly spoke of themselves with humi- 
lity and self distrust, and pursued their arduous employment "in 
weakness and fear, and much trembling." And whatever God 
had committed to them, or wrought by them, they proclaimed 
themselves to be "earthen vessels," and ascribed the "excellency 
of the power" of their ministry to God alone. Jesus Christ was 
the end of their public preaching, as well as of their private 
"conversation." In all their words and deeds they aimed to 
promote his glory, and advance and establish his kingdom. The 
Divinity of his nature, his participation of the essential attributes 
of the everlasting Father, his unity and equality in the Godhead, 
and his eternal Sonship, were themes on which they dwelt with 



REV. WILLIAM m'kENDREE. 



13 



peculiar clearness, interest, and delight. Animated with an ar- 
dent and unconquerable desire for the salvation of the souls of 
men, which had been beo^otten in their hearts by the Holy Spirit, 
they set forth, both in their private intercourse and in all their 
ministerial labours, the deep humiliation to which the Lord Jesus 
submitted for the redemption and salvation of the world. They 
continually published his atoning sacrifice, the blood of the cross, 
as possessing a saving efficacy for the removal of guilt and 
pollution, and the o-reatness and the tenderness of his compassion 
for a world of miserable sinners. They declared his veracity in 
all his great and precious promises, by which the confidence 
and hope of his people were to be encouraged and supported. 
In all these respects — in his nature — in his relation to the Father 
— in the sufficiency of his merits — in his loving kindness and 
tender compassion, and in the validity of his promises, the prim- 
itive Christian ministers represented Jesus Christ to be the same 
yesterday, to-day, and for ever ; and as such pointed all men to 
him as an almighty and immutable Saviour. This was with 
them the all-absorbing subject. The pleasures, the riches, and 
the honours of the world, were not the matters of their conver- 
sation, or their pursuit ; but " Christ was all and in all." 

5. The primitive ministers had the authority to rule, or gov- 
ern, in the Church. " Remember them that have (or had) the 
rule over you" — and " obey them that have the rule over you." 

It was obviously the end of the dispensation of Christ to form 
a universal Church, or community of believers, collected out of 
all the nations of the earth ; and to perpetuate this society to the 
end of time. The fundamental principles on which this asso- 
ciation should be founded, and the moral rules by which it should 
be governed, were clearly laid down in the doctrines, and pre- 
cepts, and examples of the adorable Saviour. 

It is equally clear that an order of officers charged with the 
organization of this community, with the due administration of 
the holy ordinances, and with the enforcement of wholesome dis- 
cipline, is of Divine appointment. While we consider these points 
as manifestly set forth in the Christian institutes, we are free to 
acknowledge that " neither Christ himself, nor his holy apostles, 
have commanded any thing clearly or expressly concerning the 
external form of the Church, and the precise method according 
to which it should be governed." What I have here noticed as 
being of Divine appointment, is, I apprehend, fully embraced in 
the commission which Christ gave to his apostles : " Go ye and 
disciple all nations," convert them to the faith of the Gospel, and 
make them my followers. This being accomplished, " Baptize 
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost." Formally initiate them as members of the great Chris- 
tian community, and as belonging to the heavenly household. 
And being thus formed into a body with the same faith, interest, 
and affection, " Teach them to observe all things whatsoever I 
have commanded you." Make them to understand the precepts 



14 



SERMON OX THE DEATH OF 



which you have received from me, and enforce the obUgations 
to obedience. 

In these three points, if we inckide the ordination of their 
successors in the sacred office, consisted the rule or government 
which the ministers of Christ, by virtae of their office, were au- 
thorized to exercise. And the end of this government was the 
" perfecting of the saints, and the edifying of the body of Christ." 
It was wisely appointed for the prevention, or cure of all disor- 
ders in the Church, and for the building up of believers in their 
most holy faith, and preserving the whole body in "the unity of 
the Spirit, and in the bonds of peace." Although the v/ord which 
the apostle uses in the text, and also in the 17th verse, to express 
the authority of Christian pastors and bishops, properly sio^nifies 
a ruler, or one having command, it is not a legitimate inference 
that this authority was of the same character with that of civil 
rulers. It certainly never was the design of Christ, or the prac- 
tice of the apostles, to enforce the discipline of the Gospel by 
such pains and penalties as properly belonged to the civil ma-, 
gistrate. Indeed the authority and influence of the primitive 
rulers in the Church, and the same may be said of the true 
Christian ministers in every age, " was founded, not on force, 
but in the fidelity with which they discharged the duties of their 
function, and in the esteem and affection of their flocks." How 
these ecclesiastical rulers were to exercise the authority with 
which they were invested, is very clearly shown in the epistles 
of St. Paul to Timothy and Titus, and in the first epistle of St. 
Peter. It was to be done by the influence of a godly hfe. By 
examples of patience and charity, illustrative of the excellency 
of the Christian system, and worthy of all imitation. "But be 
thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in 
charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Feed the flock of God 
which is with you, taking the oversight — not as being lords 
[temporal or spiritual] over God's heritage ; but beino;- ensamples, 
or patterns to the flock. In all things show thyself a pattern of 
good works ; in doctrine, uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity." 
Entreaty, reproof, and rebuke, with exhortation, complete the 
panoply with which the ministers of Christ execute their office 
as rulers in the Church of God. "Rebuke not an elder, but 
entreat him as a father ; the younger men as brethren ; the 
elder women as mothers ; the younger as sisters, with all purity. 
Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine." 
Public censure, and excommunication from the communion of 
the Church were the highest punishments which the ecclesiastical 
rulers were authorized to inflict ; and these only when in the 
judgment of the Church the offenders were guilty of such mis- 
demeanours as merited these punishments. The terrors of the 
Papal excommunication are not to be found in the records of 
the primitive Church ; and it appears very certain that the 
administration of the disciphne of the Gospel, was never design- 
ed to inflict any other temporal penalty, than such as might 



REV. WILLIAM m'kENDREE. 



15 



result from the separation of the unworthy person from the fel- 
lowship of the Christian community. 

If the precedino^ observations afford a correct view of the office 
and work of the ministers of the Gospel of Christ, it will not be 
difficult to perceive that there is a corresponding obhgation on 
the part of those among whom they labour in word and doctrine. 
It is the duty of the flock to esteem their pastors highly in love 
for their work's sake ; to cherish for them sentiments of affection 
and respect ; to seek counsel and consolation from them in all 
their tribulations and conflicts ; to submit to their godly admo- 
nitions, and to imitate their godly examples. And when it pleases 
God to remove them from their militant charge to his eternal 
kingdom and glory, those among whom they have exercised 
their holy function, should remember them with affection, grati- 
tude, and esteem. Without any apology for the length of the 
foregoing observations, I proceed, 

II. To show wherein the character of a primitive Christian 
pastor, or minister, has been sustained and exemplified in the life, 
ministerial labours, and official oversight of the late senior bishop 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

1. Bishop M'Kendree was born in King WilKam county, state 
of Virginia, on the sixth day of July, seventeen hundred and 
fifty-seven. His parents, John and Mary M'Kendree, were both 
natives of the same state. His father was a respectable planter, 
and his son VVilham was raised in the same occupation, and early 
taught the arts of husbandry, and the habits of industry and eco- 
nomy. The M'Kendree family had received their religious in- 
structions in the Church of England, which, at that time, was 
the prevailing religion of the southern colonies. The history of 
the Church at that day affords us a melancholy picture of the 
state of Christian morals. Tiie clergy were more fond of ease, 
and wealth, and worldly pleasure and gratification, than of the 
sacred duties of their holy function. The religious instruction 
of youth was much neglected, and very defective. And attend- 
ance on balls, horse races, card tables, and other places of amuse- 
ment, was generally considered, not only consistent with a pro- 
fession of religion, and membership in the Church, but also with 
the character and calling of those to whom was committed the 
" cure of souls." This v/as truly a day of spiritual darkness. 
But notwithstanding this lamentable condition of rehgion and 
morals, young M'Kendree was restrained from gross immorali- 
ties, and preserved a character free from reproach, even among 
the most religious of the day. At a very early period he was 
convinced of the depravity of his nature ; his conscience became 
tender, and he formed resolutions to live according to the hght 
which he had received. The following is his own description 
of his state at the period of which we now speak, " I do not re- 
collect to have sworn more than one profane oath in my life ; yet 
as far back as memory serves, I am conscious of the prevalence 
of evil propensities, of a heart disposed to wickedness, so that 



16 



SERMON ON THE DEATH OF 



notwithstanding the restraints by which I was kept within the 
bounds of a respectable morahty my heart was far from being" 
rio^ht with God. It was deceitful and desperately wicked. Of 
this deplorable state of things I became exquisitely sensible by 
reading the Holy Scriptures in school when I was but a small 
boy. For want of proper instruction, my apprehension of God, 
the Redeemer, and the Holy Scriptures, was very superficial. I 
literally ^ understood as a child,' and with the simplicity of a child 
I yielded to the dictates of conscience, refrained from what ap- 
peared to be wrong, and as a child endeavoured to imitate the 
examples of those holy men of God, as set forth in the Scrip- 
tures." Had these impressions been cherished by pious instruc- 
tors, and by parents who had the power as well as the form of 
godhness, there can be little doubt, that this amiable youth, like 
young Timothy, would have from a child known the Holy Scrip- 
tures, in such a manner as to have made him wise unto salva- 
tion, through faith which is in Christ Jesus, and thereby prepared 
the way for his entering the arduous work of the Gospel minis- 
try at a much earlier period of his life than he did. But for the 
want of such helps, and in consequence of opposition and dis- 
couragements from those who should have taught him the way 
of righteousness, and aided him to walk therein at this tender 
age, his impressions were weakened, conscience became more 
inclined to slumber, and his religious resolutions were shaken. 
But still the fear of God did not forsake him. It was about the 
time of the commencement of the revolutionary struggle by which 
the colonies were finally separated from the British government, 
that the Methodist preachers, then under the direction of the Rev. 
J. Wesley, first visited that section of Virginia in which the 
M'Kendree family resided. William at this time was about nine- 
teen years of age, possessed with an exquisite sensibility, and a 
heart all buoyant with anticipation. The ministry of the word 
was attended by the power of the Spirit, and many were con- 
vinced that "these men were the servants of the most high God." 
Those convictions which had in a great measure become extin- 
guished by the amusements of the world, were now revived and 
strengthened in the mind of this interesting young man. He 
says of himself, "I yielded to conviction, and resolved to lead a 
new life." In conformity to this resolution, he proposed to unite 
with the Methodist Society as a seeker of religion, and was re- 
ceived on trial. But here again his resolution was shaken, and 
halting by the way, he failed to obtain the prize. His undis- 
guised representation of his case clearly shows the danger of awa- 
kened persons associating with those companions, however civil 
they may be, who neither love nor fear God. Especially before 
age and experience have fortified the heart. 

Having noticed his connection with the society, he adds, "But 
my attachment to worldly associates, who were civil and respect- 
ful in their deportment, had grown with my growth, and my 
conviction was not accompanied with sufficient firmness to dis- 



REV. WILLIAM m'kENDREE. 



17 



solve the connection. And their future conduct being- accom- 
modated to my reformed manners, I continued to enjoy the friend- 
ship both of the society and of the world ; but in a very imper- 
fect degree. They continued to counteract and impair each 
other, until the love of the world prevailed, and my relish for 
genuine piety departed. I peaceably retired from society, while 
my conduct continued to secure their friendship." In this situ- 
ation, with no material change in his religious state, except a gra- 
dual decline of his concern for the salvation of his soul, he con- 
tinued for several years. But his abiding conviction of the im- 
portance and necessity of religion, and his exquisite sensibihty 
to consistency of character, preserved him from gross immorali- 
ties, and prevented a rapid progress in the way of sin. In the 
year 1787, he being about thirty years of age, a powerful and ex- 
tensive revival of religion commenced in the Brunswick circuit, 
in which he lived, under the ministry of that devoted servant of 
Christ, the Rev. John Easter. In the course of this year, Mr. 
Easter added about twelve hundred members to the Church. — 
This was a year of the deepest interest to M'Kendree. It was 
the year of his conversion to God; the year in which he expe- 
rienced that inward and spiritual revelation of the Son of God, 
which was an indispensable qualification for preaching his un- 
searchable riches. He records this eventful change in the fol- 
lowing expressive terms : " My convictions were renewed. They 
were deep and pungent. The great deep of the heart was broken 
up. Its deceit and desperately wicked nature were disclosed. 
And the awful, the eternally ruinous consequences clearly ap- 
peared. My repentance was sincere. I was desirous, and be- 
came wilhng to be saved on any terms. And after a sore and 
sorrowful travail of three days, which were employed in hearing 
Mr. Easter, and in fasting and prayer, while the man of God was 
showing a large congregation the way of salvation by faith, with 
a clearness which at once astonished and encouraged me, I ven- 
tured my all on Christ. In a moment my soul was relieved of a 
burden too heavy to be borne, and joy instantly succeeded sor- 
row ! For a short space I was fixed in silent adoration, giving 
glory to God for his unspeakable goodness to such an unworthy 
creature." Although his evidence of acceptance with God was 
so clear as to remove all doubt from his mind, and enable him 
in humble confidence to cry, "Abba, Father," it was but a short 
time before he was perplexed with doubts and fears relative to 
the reahty of the change. In this state of uncertainty he conti- 
nued for six weeks. But notwithstanding his exercise was deep 
and sorrowful, he was graciously supported, and received many 
encouraging manifestations. "But," to use his own words, "in- 
stead of receiving in faith, and giving glory to God, I reasoned 
all into uncertainty, and had multiplied perplexity and sorrow 
for my reward." At the close of this severe conflict, he received 
a new and full assurance of his adoption into the heavenly fa- 
mily ; in regard to which blessed event, he says, "But thanks 

3 



18 



SERMON ON THE DEATH OF 



be to Godj who by a manifestation of truth, accompanied by its 
own evidence, removed all my doubts. I was confirmed in the 
faith of the Gospel, and of my personal acceptance, in which I 
have remained steadfast to' the present day. Many have been 
my imperfections and failures, and I have had convictions and 
repentance for them ; but nothing of the kind has shaken my 
confidence in the reality of the change wrought in me by the 
Spirit of God at my conversion." Soon after this he heard the 
doctrine of "Christian perfection set forth in its native sim.pli- 
city,'' and such were its peculiar beauties and Divine excellen- 
cies in his estimation, that he immediately resolved, by God"s 
grace, to seek and obtain the blessing. This resolution he car- 
ried into practice : and the result, which he gives in the follow- 
ing words, should be matter of encouragement to all who desire 
this blessed state. "Eventually,*" he says, "I obtained deliver- 
ance from unholy passions, and found myself possessed of ability 
to resist temptation, take up and bear the cross, and to exercise 
faith and patience, and all the graces of the Spirit in a manner 
before unknown," Soon after he had experienced the witness 
of his acceptance with God, he began to feel a deep concern for 
the salvation of his fellow creatures, especially those who had 
been his particular friends and associates. With these he con- 
versed in private on their eternal interest, and exhorted them 
with tears to flee from the wrath to come and embrace Christ as 
their Saviour. His soul was frequently drawn out in secret 
prayer, with ardent desires for their conversion to God. He 
soon began to exercise in the public prayer meetings. The fruits 
of these early labours were obvious. Numbers were convicted^ 
converted, or comforted through his instrumentality. Jt was 
but a few months from the time of his conversion, till his mind 
became deeply exercised in regard to the work of the ministry. 
And these exercises were greatly increased by the fact that many 
of the experienced and pious members of the society, as well as 
the preachers, were deeply impressed with a conviction that it 
was his duty to preach the Gospel. But this did not satisfy him. 
He wanted for himself a full proof of Christ speaking in him^ 
and was fearful of preaching before he was sent. The Rev. Mr, 
Easter, who was his spiritual father, and who was of the opinion 
that God had called him to the work, proposed to him to travel 
with him round the circuit.- He yielded to this proposal \^'ith 
fear and trembling. On the one hand he feared that the course 
pursued with him. by those in whose piety and judgment he had 
great confidence, and who consequently had much influence 
with him, might lead him to a premature attempt, which was 
liable to eventuate in the injury of a cause which he most ar- 
dently desired to promote. And on the other, having strong 
conviction of duty in his own mind, he was tremblingly alive tO' 
the consequences of refusino; to obey. His deficiency m literary 
acquirements, having had only a common English education, 
his conscious want of experience in the knowledge of men and 



1k,EY. -WILLIABT m'kENDREE. 



19 



things, and especially his apprehension of his superficial ac- 
quaintance with the Holy Scriptures, presented to his mind so 
many formidable difficulties in the way of a successful prosecu- 
tion of the work, as to produce the most severe conflict. In this 
fiery trial he left Mr. Easter and returned home, but was unable 
to attend to business in consequence of the deep struggle and 
anguish of his spirit. In this way, to use his own words, " he 
was tossed to and fro," until the sitting of the conference, which 
took place in Petersburg, in Virginia. Here h^ was recom- 
mended by the preacher, received on trial, and appointed by the 
bishop to Mechlingburg circuit. This was in less than nine 
months from the time of his conversion. He was never hcensed 
as a local preacher before he commenced travelling, and never 
located afterward. So that he never sustained the character of 
a local preacher, either before or after he was admitted into the 
conference. 

The state of his mind, with reference to his call to the minis- 
try, at the time he joined the conference, and for more than a 
year after, and the manner in which he became fully satisfied 
of his duty in this respect, I prefer to give in his own words, 
which are as follows : " I went immediately to the circuit to 
which I was appointed, relying more on the judgment of expe- 
rienced ministers in whom I confided, than on any clear convic- 
tion of my call to the work ; and when I yielded to their judg- 
ment, I firmly resolved not to deceive them, and to retire as soon 
as I should be convinced that I was not called of God, and to 
conduct myself in such a manner that if I failed, my friends 
might be satisfied it was not for want of effort on my part, but 
that their judgment was not well founded. This resolution sup- 
ported me under many doubts and fears ; for entering into the 
work of a traveUing preacher neither removed my doubts, nor 
the difficulties that attended my labours. Sustained by a deter- 
mination to make a full trial, I resorted to fasting and prayer, 
and waited for those kind friends who had the charge and go- 
vernment over me to dismiss me from the work. But I waited 
in vain. In this state of suspense, my reasoning might have 
terminated in discouraging and ruinous conclusions, had I not 
been comforted and supported by the kind and encouraging 
manner in which t was received by aged and experienced bre- 
thren, by the m.anifest presence of God in our meetings, which 
were frequently lively and profitable ; and sometimes souls were 
convicted and converted, which afibrded considerable encourage- 
ment, and by the union and communion with my Saviour in 
private devotion, which he graciously afforded me in the inter- 
vals of my very imperfect attempts to preach his Gospel. In this 
way I became satisfied of my call to the ministry, and that I was 
moving in the line of my duty." 

In taking a summary view of the dealings of God with his 
servant, as previously noticed, the following particulars are wor- 
thy of our special attention. 1. He had a strong conviction in 



20 



«ERMON ON THE DEATH OP 



his own mind; that it was his duty to preach the Gospel, and 
call sinners to repentance. 2, This conviction was strenofthened 
by the knowledge he had that pious and devoted Christians and 
experienced ministers were of the same opinion. 3. The con- 
sciousness of his deficiency in those qualifications which are 
requisite for a minister of Christ, filled him with many doubts 
relative to his call to the work. 4. He feared the consequences, 
and trembled to take the responsibility of disobedience. 5. In 
this state of solicitude and suspense he entered upon the work, 
waiting for providential events to decide the doubtful point. 6. 
But he waited with fasting and prayer. 7. The kindness with 
which he was received by the friends of the Redeemer, greatly 
encouraged him in his efforts. 8. He saw the fruits of his 
labours, the presence of God was with him in the congregations, 
and sinners were awakened and converted. 9. He had sweet 
communion with his Saviour in his private devotions. 10. By 
these means he was fully persuaded that he was moved by the 
Holy Ghost to preach. It is not difficult to trace in these points 
the experience of primitive ministers of the Gospel. The call- 
ing is by the same Divine agency in every aofe. The promise 
of the presence of Christ extends to the end of time. And the 
same fruits are to result from the preaching of the word now, 
as at the beginning. The Gospel is now, and will continue to 
be, the power of God unto salvation. And all true converts to 
the faith of Christ, are still as they ever have been, seals of the 
ministry of those through whose instrumentality they have been 
brousfh't out of darkness into God's marvellous lio^ht. We can- 
not speak minutely of Mr. M'Kendree during the first years of 
his ministry. It would swell this discourse beyond its prescribed 
limits. Suffice it to say, that he travelled with great accepta- 
bility and usefulness as a circuit preacher for seven years, in 
which time he filled some of the most important circuits in Vir- 
ginia, and one year he was stationed in the city of Norfolk. — 
Some of these were years of great affliction in that part of the 
work where he chiefly laboured. The schism which commenced 
in the Church in that quarter in 1791, and which was matured 
the following year, threatened an extensive and ruinous division. 
At the commencement of these difficulties his mind was greatly 
exercised in regard to the course he ought to pursue. And at 
one time, fearing the measures adopted by the conference would 
be injurious to the Church, he declined taking a regular appoint- 
ment; but he soon became convinced of his error, and a few days 
after the close of conference, met the bishop, and took a regular 
station in the city of Norfolk. From this time he devoted him- 
self more diligently to a critical examination of the system of 
government recommended by Mr. Wesley, and adopted by the 
General Conference in 1784. This examination resulted in a 
full conviction that the system was not only well adapted to the 
ends proposed, that is, "to reform the continent, and spread 
Scriptural holiness over these lands but that it was agreeable 



REV. WILLIAM m'kENDREE, 



21 



to the primitive order and 2:overnment of the Christian Church. 
Confirmed in his judgment of the fitness of the government, and 
of the importance of preserving a general itinerant superintend- 
ency, guarded by suitable checks and responsibilities, he used 
the influence of his talents and personal character, in the most 
prudent and judicious manner, to counteract the effects, and pre- 
vent the progress of schismatical measures. And there is good 
evidence that his labours, in this respect, were not in vain. With 
reference to the early years of his ministry he says : "The object 
of my pursuit was the glory of God, the salvation of my own 
soul, and to be useful as a Methodist preacher. For these ends 
I sincerely sought to understand the will of God in his gracious 
plan of redemption — His terms of saving sinners — the duties 
required of men both before and after conversion; and conscien- 
tiously walk: by, and enforce them, as I was able. And I deeply 
regretted that my performances fell so far short of what I con- 
ceived to be the measure of so good a cause. In the discharge 
of my duties as a travelhng preacher, the rules of the Church, 
and especially of a 'Methodist preacher,' were my directory. I 
therefore conscientiously endeavoured not to break those rules ; 
but to keep them. That the legitimate law should govern, is a 
principle from which I have not knowingly departed. By strictly 
attending to this rule, I have had some trouble and affliction ; 
but I have been supported by a good conscience." 

These are sentiments worthy to be written in the heart, and 
preserved in the memory of those who succeed liim in the sacred 
office. They are strikingly descriptive of the true character of 
the exceUent man who wrote them. May his sons in the Gos- 
pel imitate his sincerity, zeal, and fidelity. He was ordained 
deacon in 1790, and elder in December, 1791. At the close of 
eight years as a regular circuit preacher, in 1796, he was ap- 
pointed presiding elder of a district in the Virginia conference. 
Here his sphere of useful labour was greatly enlarged. This 
district extended from the Chesapeake Bay over the Blue Ridge, 
and Alleghany Mountains, and embraced a large tract of coun- 
try on the western waters. The rides were long, and the charge 
required of the elder constant preaching, and much attention 
and care in the management of the various and important busi- 
ness of the district. He records, with gratitude to Heaven, the 
blessings he received during the three years he continued in this 
charge. His ministry was attended by a Divine unction. Sin- 
ners were awakened and converted to God — believers were com- 
forted and built up in their most holy faith ; many were added 
to the Church, and the field of labour was considerably enlarged. 
In those days, it was in accordance with the spirit and views of 
Methodist preachers, whether on circuits or districts, to seek the 
enlargement of the bounds of their v/ork, and pray earnestly to 
the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers to cultivate the 
field. The oversight of the district, in the administration of the 
disciplinej was conducted with great wisdom and prudence, and 



22 



SERMON ON THE DEATH OF 



to the satisfaction of the preachers and members. The spirit of 
schism, which had previously prevailed in some parts of the dis- 
trict, greatly subsided, and the love of union, peace, and order, 
was revived. Our venerable departed friend comprehensively 
records the events of the time he employed on this charge in the 
following sententious manner : " On this station I was blessed 
with many friends, abundant in kind offices^ and some of them 
able counsellors. We were blessed with a revival of religion — 
many professed to obtain regenerating grace, and joined the 
Church. The members provoked one another to love and good 
works, and their advancement in the Divine life was evident. 
The abundant labours and care which the charge imposed, were 
too great for my strength ; my studies were therefore partially 
prevented by attention to other branches of duty ; and my ner- 
vous system was somewhat impaired. But I was abundantly 
compensated, in having intimate union and communion with the 
adorable Saviour ; and the increasing prosperity of the Church 
at once invigorated my zeal, and increased my joy in the Lord." 
Thus he closed his extensive and arduous labours on the district. 

In 1799 he was appointed to a district in the Baltimore con- 
ference, contiguous to that on which he had travelled the three 
preceding years. This district was little less in its extent of ter- 
ritory than the former. It extended from the Chesapeake Bay 
over the Blue Ridge, and terminated at the foot of the Alleghany 
Mountain. This was to him a year of labour and trials; but he 
says "they were for2:otten in overwhelming communion with 
God, and reviving and encouraging interviews with his follow- 
ers." "Here," he adds, "I found fathers and mothers in Israel, 
by whose example I was edified and comforted." 

In the spring of 1800 he was returned to the district from 
which he had been taken the year before, and in the fall of the 
same year. Bishops Asbury and Whatcoat passed through the 
district, and took him with them to the Western conference, 
which met at Bethel, in October. Here he was appointed to the 
oversight of the whole conference in the character of a district, 
which embraced the State of Kentucky, and that part of Virginia 
west of the Great Kenawha River, east and west Tennessee, and 
all the settled territory west of the Ohio River, including what is 
now the State of Ohio, and an extensive mission in the Illinois. 
The Natchez mission was also connected with his charge. He 
had now to travel about fifteen hundred miles to compass his 
district ; and the whole extent of it, with the exception of east 
Tennessee and that part of Virginia which it included, was a 
new and rapidly populating country. This was a field of labour 
and enterprise well suited to the enlightened views and ardent 
devotion of this excellent minister of Christ. It was a work 
worthy of aposdes, and which required the zeal of apostles to 
accomplish. He entered into it with a deep sense of his depend- 
ence upon Divine aid, and with that vigorous and persevering 
action, which, by the blessing of God, was attended with abun- 



REV. WILLIAM m'kENDREE. 



23 



dant success. It must be recollected that a very large portion 

of the country embraced in his new charge, was just settling 
with emigrants from the old states, who were subject to all the 
inconveniences and privations common to the first settlers in all 
new countries. Small companies of these emigrants would locate 
themselves in neighbourhoods many miles remote from each other, 
without any other method of intercourse than the pocket com- 
pass, or trees marked with the axe, or the tops of under brush 
bent down and half broken. These were the landmarks and 
highways of our M'Kendree through a large part of the vast 
vaTley of the Mississippi. It was his wise and benevolent plan, with 
the handful of preachers in his charge, to advance with the 
increasing population of the country, and to plant the standard 
of the cross, and preach Jesus and the resurrection in the most 
frontier settlements. Pursuing this judicious course, the field of 
labour continued to enlarge in proportion to the rapid advance 
of emigration. In the prosecution of this plan, he and his fellow 
labourers, of precious memory, had necessarily to encounter and 
overcome many formidable difficulties. They were frequently 
ministers of Gospel consolation to the people in ther camps, 
or cabins, in the woods, or cane-brakes, before their fields were 
sufficiently opened to raise a comfortable support for their fami- 
lies. In gettins: to them, for want of roads or paths, they were 
conducted through the trackless woods. And for want of bridges 
or boats, they swam creeks and rivers. They carried their pro- 
visions for man and beast on their horses, cooked their simple 
meals in the v/ilderness, slept at night on their blankets, fre- 
quently interrupted by the company and howling of wolves, and 
in the morning went on their way rejoicing. The following is 
the description of these western scenes drawn by our venerable 
friend, whose experience had qualified him to give a striking 
picture. He says, " While on the way through these frontier 
settlements, if we came to a creek or a river without a boat or 
canoe, or log, we had the privilege of swimming the stream ; 
and when safely landed on the other bank, it was a consolation 
to reflect on having left that obstruction behind, and that the 
way to the next lay open and plain before us. If night overtook 
us before we could reach a house, it was our privilege to gather 
wood where we could find .it, make a fire, eat our morsel, 
and supplicate a throne of grace with as free access as in a palace 
or a church. Being weary, we rested sweetly and securely under 
Divine protection. And when we arrived at our intended place, 
if the accommodations were of the humblest kind, we had the 
inexpressible satisfaction of being received with a hearty wel- 
come, and accommodated with the best the family could afford. 
And though very inferior in the estimation of the delicate, and 
those accustomed to sumptuous fare, yet all the real wants of 
nature were supplied. We eat heartily, slept sweetly, and re- 
joiced with the pious and affectionate people, who received and 
treated the ^linisters of the Gospel as angels of God. And above 



24 



SERMON ON THE DEATH OF 



all, when the time arrived for us to deliver our message, the 
people flocked together, and seemed to wait to hear what God 
the Lord would say. The prayers of the pious ascended the 
hill of the Lord, Divine energy attended the -word preached, 
sinners were convicted of their sins, many were converted to 
God, and the Church enlarged and built up in the faith once 
delivered to the saints." In this vast western work he continued 
to labour as a presiding elder from the fall of 18U0 till the spring 
of 1808. In view of the whole he says, " My appointment re- 
quired much riding. 1 preached often, and sustained a great 
charge ; and yet I esteem those among the happiest days of my 
life. Strange as it may seem, there, in the midst of privations 
and many exposures, my impaired constitution was restored, 
and my health greatly improved. I enjoyed peace and consola- 
tion through faith, and was enabled to walk with God," Dur- 
ing the eight years of his labour in this western valley, the work 
was greatly enlarged, and a number of regular districts were 
formed. 

In the spring of 1808, he was elected by the western confer- 
ence to attend the General Conference in the city of Baltimore. 
Here he was appointed on the committee to form a constitution 
for the organization and government of a delegated General 
Conference. But before the committee had fully matured that 
important system, and prepared it to lay before the body, he was 
elected by the General Conference to the ofiice of a general su- 
perintendent, or bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He 
was ordained on the 18th day of May, 1808, by the imposition 
of the hands of Bishop Asbury, assisted by the following elders, 
viz. : Jesse Lee, Freeborn Garrettson, Thomas Ware, and Philip 
Bruce. I cannot follow Bishop M'Kendree in his almost unpar- 
alleled travels and labours from the time of his election to the 
episcopal office till death removed him from the militant Church, 
even with that degree of minuteness which would be necessary 
to give a tolerable view of the extent and usefulness of the exer- 
cise of his ministerial functions. However desirable such a 
narrative might be in a discourse occasioned by the removal of 
such a man as Bishop M'Kendree, it would require a volume to 
accomplish it. We must, therefore, satisfy ourselves for the 
present with a few brief sketches of this very important epoch 
of his history, in hope that an enlarged biography of his long, 
laborious, and useful life, will at no very distant period be given 
to the Church in which he has exercised the oversight for so 
many years. His field of labour was now changed from a dis- 
trict in the western valley to the United States and territories, 
and the provinces of Upper and Lower Canada. And instead 
of presiding in quarterly meetings, chiefly in thinly-settled cir- 
cuits, he was now called to the joint superintendence of the tem- 
poral and spiritual interests of the whole Church, embracing the 
preachers and members of seven annual conferences. In the 
prosecution of this arduous work, for many years, he travelled 



REV. WILLIAM m'kENDREE. 



25 



annually fi'om four to six thousand miles, and a c^reat part of 
the time preached nearly every day. Nor would he yield to the 
use of a carria2:e, but performed his extensive journeys on horse- 
back, till the infirmities of age, and the greatness and variety of 
his labours, had enfeebled his constitution, and greatly impaired 
his health. While he retained his physical strength and action 
he was always ready to advance in the face of difficulties and 
dangers. Diligence and perseverance were stamped upon his 
whole character. And if he failed to meet an appointment, which 
was very seldom the case, it was apprehended that some extra- 
ordinary dispensation of Providence had delayed him. He left 
the city of Baltimore about the first of June, shortly after the 
close of the General Conference, at which he was constituted 
bishop, and travelled through Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, 
and the territories west of the Ohio River, and penetrated the 
" western wilds" one hundred miles up the Missouri. Here he 
attended a camp meeting in the true back woods" style, with 
that excellent man of God, Rev. Jesse Walker. His house, at 
this meeting, was the preachers' saddle blankets, sewed together 
and spread over a pole, supported by forks placed in the ground, 
after the manner of soldiers' tents. One end of this house was 
made of green brush ; the other was left open, and in front of it 
the fire was made. His food was bread and flesh, broiled on 
sticks by the fire. He returned through the territories and met 
Bishop Asbury and the western conference on the first of Octo- 
ber, at Liberty Hill, in Tennessee. Thus, in four months he 
accomplished a tour of about fifteen hundred miles on horse- 
back, a considerable part of it without roads, bridges, or boats, 
frequently swimming creeks and rivers, and sleeping many 
nififhts in the woods with heaven for his covering, and earth for 
his bed. This first extensive frontier visit of a Methodist bishop 
was attended with happy results. Many people had conceived 
of the superintendents or bishops of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, to be men clothed with power dangerous to society. 
They had considered them as ecclesiastical dignitaries, inacces- 
sible to the common classes of the people, surrounded with pomp 
and wealth, and ruling with almost absolute authority. And 
there were not wanting Protestant teachers of religion who were 
forward in producing and cherishing such sentiments in the 
minds of the people. Bishop M'Kendree's appearance and man- 
ners were well calculated to correct such views, and remove the 
prejudices of those who had formed their opinions under the 
influence of misrepresentation. Thousands flocked to see and 
hear the "Methodist bishop." But how were they disappointed ! 
Instead of costly and fashionable costume, his dress was of the 
plainest mode, and of common materials. Instead of austerity 
of manners, and the signs of ecclesiastical power, they found 
him affable, famihar, and persuasive. Gentle to all men, ready . 
to participate, with ease and sweetness of temper, in the circum- 

4 



26 



SERMON ON THE DEATH OF 



Stances of the poor and afflicted, and ever intent upon difibsing^ 
happiness in every circle of society in which he moved. 

In this western tour he met a number of quarterly and camp 
meetings, and preached in the demonstration of the Spirit and 
with power to hstening thousands ; and the blessed fruits of those 
labours remain to this day. 

His administration in the first conference, at which he pre- 
sided conjointly with Bishop Asbury, which has been named 
before, was every way satisfactory to the preachers and people. 

Here he commenced his regular annual visits to the confer- 
ences, travelling sometimes with his venerable colleague, Bishop 
Asbury, and sometimes alone, as was found most convenient, in 
view of visiting the Churches, and preaching to the congrega- 
tions, in the most profitable manner, in the intervals of the con- 
ferences. 

His manner of conducting the business of the conferences was 
almost imiversally approved, and his administration of the go- 
vernment was uniformly sustaii^ed by the General Conference. 
In this laborious, extensive, and difFicult oversight, he continued, 
travelling about six thousand mJIes a year, till 1816, during 
which time the work had been o;reatly enlarged, and several new 
conferences were organized. From 1812 till 1816, Bishop M'Ken- 
dree's labours were considerably increased, in consequence of 
Bishop Asbury's inability, through age and severe affliction, to 
sustain the charge as he had before done. In the fall of 1815^ 
these two venerable and laborious men met, for the last time, at 
the Tennessee conference. Bishop Asbury preached, although 
unable to stand on his feet, and ordained, with feeble and trem- 
bhng hands, a few preachers. Here they separated, lairing dif- 
ferent routes, intending to meet at the South Carolina conference^ 
in Charleston. But Bishop Asbury failed to reach the place, and 
they met no more. In March, 1816. Bishop Asbury was removed 
from his labours and sufferings to his eternal rest, and Bishop 
M'Kendree was left alone in the general superintendency of the 
Church. For some time previous to the sittmg of the General 
Conference, in May of this year. Bishop M'Kendree was severely 
afflicted. He was confined to his bed on his way from the Bal- 
timore to the Philadelphia conference, and was not able to attend 
the latter. He was brought to the dwelling of his old friend Dr, 
"VVilkins, in the vicinity of Baltimore, where he remained till the 
sitting of the General Conference. Here it was very evident that 
his arduous labours, extensive travels, and the infirmities of age^ 
had greatly impaired his constitution, and enfeebled his physical 
energies. It was obvious to all that it was indispensably neces- 
sary to afford him aid in his superintending oversight. For this 
purpose two aged and experienced brethren were elected and 
ordained as his joint colleagues in this vavSt field of labour. But 
notwithstanding his feeble state of health, and the appointment 
of two additional superintendents at this General Conference, he 



REV. WILLIAM ifKENDREE. 



27 



<!ontinued to discharo;e the duties of his office with iintiring- per- 
se^^erance, and his travels and labours were rather increased than 
diminished. 

In the winter of 1S17-1S, he attended the South Carolina con- 
ference, in Georijia, and went on to the Yirginia conference at 
Norfolk. At the close of this conference he set out on an exten- 
sive western tour, and travelled by the way of Lytjchbnrs:, 
through the western parts of Yirginia, and east and west Ten- 
nessee. After restinq^ a few days at his brother's, in Sumner 
county, he continued his journey throuafh the southern parts of 
Kentucky, crossed the Ohio River, and visited the lower parts 
of the state of lihnois ; crossed the Mississippi at Cape Girardeau, 
and visited the frontier settlements about the old Lead Mines, 
and from thence to the Missouri River : and crossing it, attended 
a camp meeting on the north side. After attending this meeting 
he returned throu2:h Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky, visiting 
the Churches, by the way of St. Louis, Yincennes, Louisville, 
ShelbyviUe, and Maysville ; and attended the Ohio conference 
at Steubenville in the fall of 1S18. His affliction was such at 
this conference as to excite the deep sympathy of his friends, who 
advised, and even entreated him, to relinquish his design of visit- 
ing the South Carohna conference the ensuing winter by way 
of Mississippi, and throu^fh the extensive nations of Indians, 
But his work was before him, and his trust was in God. He 
commenced the intended journey in circumstances which would 
have deterred most men from the attempt. He could neither 
mount nor dismount his horse without help, and when mounted 
one misstep or irregular motion of the horse produced exquisite 
pain. But feeble as he was, he pursued his course through the 
states of Ohio and Indiana, and attended the conference on the 
White River, and from thence to the Tennessee conference in 
Nashville, Here he took two young men for the work in Mis- 
sissippi, prepared a pack hors€ to carry their provisions through 
the Indian nations, and set out for the Mississippi conference, 
which was to meet on the Pearl River. Long rides, irregular 
iivinof, and great exposures, added to the care of the Churches, 
proved to be too o^reat for his declining strength ; and three days 
before he reached the seat of conference he sunk under the fa- 
tigue, and was very near falling from his horse. The balance 
of his journey was pursued in great weakness. He commenced 
the business of the conference, but v\'as unable to proceed. A 
brother Vv^as called to the chair, and a bed vv^as placed in the 
room, on which the bishop lay and afforded such counsel and 
aid as his feeble state would admit. On the Sabbath the con- 
gregation met on the camp ground. The bishop was taken in 
a carriage, and laid on a bed near the stand during the sermon, 
, At the close of the preacliing he was taken from the bed, and 
being supported by two preachers, performed the ordination ser- 
vice, in the presence of a large, attentive, and deeply alfected 
congregation. This work being accomplished, he was put into 



28 



SERMON OX THE DEATH OF 



the carrias^e and conveyed to his lodo;ings, where he remained 
with the kindest treatment, and in the hands of a skilful physi- 
cian, through a long and painful affliction. His recovery from 
this illness was very slow, so that it was judged unsafe for him 
to attempt to travel, except on a visit to the mission at New-Or- 
leans, on a steam boat, till about the middle of April. 1819. At 
this time his physician and friends considering it not safe for him 
to remain in the low country in the warm season, advised his 
return to a more northern latitude to spend the summer. Ac- 
cordingly he set out, accompanied by two preachers, although 
in a very weak and delicate state of heahh. His feebleness of 
body prevented him from reaching the public stands on the road, 
in consequence of which he was under the necessity of lying in 
the woods eight or ten nights, in passing through the Choctaw 
and Chickasaw nations, on his way to west Tennessee. After 
resting a few weeks at his brother's, in Sumner county, he visited 
the Harrodsburg Springs, in Kentucky, where he continued a 
considerable part of the summer, visiting and preaching in the 
neighbourhood as he was able. In August he attended the Ohio 
conference in Cincinnati. From this conference he moved 
slowly, as his feeble health would permit, through Kentucky, 
TennesseCj and Virginia, and arrived in Georgetown during the 
session of the Baltimore conference in that place. Here he was 
received with a sincere and ardent affection, and with lively 
expressions of gratitude to God for the preservation of his life. 
On the first day of May, 1820, he opened the session of the Ge- 
neral Conference in Baltimore, but was seldom able to preside, 
or even to attend the sittings of the conference. During this 
eventful session, Bishop M'Kendree was deeply afflicted, both in 
body and in mind. With the interests and prosperity of the 
Church, no man was ever more perfectly identified. Whatever 
tended to disturb her peace, or weaken the bands of confidence 
and fellowship within her pales, was Avith him a matter of pain- 
ful sensibility. He was always watchful of those ancient land- 
marks, set up by the wisdom of as'e and experience, and tested 
by extraordinary proofs of Divine approbation, in a genuine, 
extensive, and continued revival of evangelical religion over this 
continent. He contemplated with admiration the peculiar adap- 
tation of the doctrines, government, and discipline of the Church 
of his choice to the proposed ends. He had thoroughly examined 
the grand itinerant system, and was fully persuaded of its agree- 
ment with the primitive order of the Church. He had witnessed 
its mighty and efficient operations in turning thousands and tens 
of thousands from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan 
unto God. And he had studied men and things too well not to 
perceive that a general itinerant siiperintendency was essential 
to the efficiency, and even to the preservation of this system. 
Under all these considerations. Bishop M'Kendree was deeply 
affected with any measures which, in his judgment, had a tend- 
ency to weaken the energies, or change the plan of the govern- 



REV. WILLIAM ^LKEXDREE. 



29 



ment. Such measures he apprehended to be in a train of opera- 
tion at the General Conference of 1S20. With these measures 
he was afflicted, but his earnest and constant prayer was, that 
God would so direct and overrule the deliberations and acts of 
that body as to promote the peace and harmony of the Church, 
and advance the general interests of religion. In consideration 
of Bishop M'Kendree's extreme debility, and in hope that his 
heahh might be restored, the General Conference passed a reso- 
lution releasing him from the discharge of his official duties, and 
advising him to pursue that course which would best suit his 
personal comfort and convenience, and be most likely to improve 
his health ; and at the same time requesting him to resume the 
functions of his office as soon as his strength would admit. 

He ever afterward spoke of this act of the conference with ex- 
pressions of affection and gratitude. From this period till the sit- 
ting of the General Conference in 1S24, he passed throus^h the deep 
waters of affliction. Unable, through bodily infirmity, to travel 
and meet the conferences, and jointly with his colleagues super- 
intend the important business of ihe Church, while efforts were 
making at different points to produce schism in the body, and 
his character assailed with a severity which savoured but little 
of the spirit of the Gospel, the refined and exquisite sensibility 
of his nature was wounded. And his deep soUcitude for the 
harmony of the preachers and people, was frequently expressed 
in fervent prayers and many tears. 

In reviewing the scenes of these four years, the bishop speaks 
with deep humility and lively gratitude. He says, " The last 
four years I have been afflicted in body and in mind. In some 
measure my anxiety and zeal for the Church appeared to have 
been the effect of a deficiency in faith and trust in God. In 
these deep exercises I saw more clearly the depravity of my own 
heart, and have cause to regret that I failed so to exercise 
patience and faith as to grow in grace as heretofore. But the 
Lord mercifully sustained, and graciously saved me from sink- 
ing in the deep waters. I remember with gratitude being res- 
cued from sinking under the trial by timely encouragement and 
support from brethren in the ministry and in the membership." 
At the conference in 1S24, the bishop's health was considerably 
improved, and the conflicting elements of disunion and schism 
appeared to be subsiding. The prospect of a better state of things 
produced a happy effect in his mind. When the conference 
closed, he set out on a tour through the western states, preach- 
ing every Sabbath and sometimes on the week days. In this 
journey he travelled from Baltimore to Wheeling in Virginia, to 
Columbus in Ohio, to the Wyandot mission at Upper Sandusky, 
returning to the Ohio conference at Zanesville. From thence, 
hy the way of Lancaster, ChiUicothe, Maysville, and Frankfort, 
to Shelbyville, the seat of the Kentucky conference. After at- 
tendmg the conference, continued the journey to Louisyille, 
crossed the Ohio River, and proceeded through the state of Indi- 



30 



SERMON ON THE DKATII OF 



ana to Yiiicennes, crossed the Wabash, and travelled through 
Illinois to Padfields, twenty-five miles from the Mississippi ; at- 
tended the Missouri conference in November, and proceeded 
through the south part of Illinois ; recrossed the Ohio River into 
Kentucky, and visited Hopkiusville and Russellville, and passed 
into Tennessee. Preached at Fountainhead, Gallatin, Nashville, 
and Franklin, and attended the Tennessee conference the first 
of December at Columbia. During this long- and laborious 
journey. Bishop M'Kendree was a great part of the time so feeble 
as to require the assistance of friends to get in and out of his 
carriage. The roads were exceedingly bad, and sometimes 
almost impassable. The waters were high, bridges and boats 
gone, and for the last month the weather extremely cold and 
unpleasant. Several times the horses and carriage were near 
swimming, and once in crossing a deep and dangerous river on 
a very cold day, the ferry boat having been sunk into the stream, 
the water swept over the horses' backs, and the carriage sunk 
so deep that the water came in so as to wet the bishop above the 
knees. His clothes were soon frozen, and in this condition he 
had to ride three or four miles to reach a house. 

He remained with his friends in Tennessee through the win- 
ter of 1824-5, visiting the Churches and preaching frequently. 
He spent the ensuing summer in the west, and in the fall crossed 
the Cumberland Mountains and attended the Holston conference, 
and travelled extensively through Virginia. In the spring of 
1826, he visited the Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New- York 
conferences, and returned to the south in the fall ; spent the 
winter in the bounds of the South Carolina and Virginia confer- 
ences, and returned to the Baltimore and Philadelphia confer- 
ences, in the spring of 1827. After the close of the Philadelphia 
conference he returned to Baltimore, and set out on a journey to 
the west in May. He crossed the Alleghany Mountains by the * 
way of Cumberland, visiting and preaching in the principal 
societies,. He travelled through the state of Ohio by way of 
Zanesville, Lancaster, and Columbus, and visited the third time 
the Wyandot mission. Returning, he passed through Urbana, 
and visited many of the towns in the south part of the state, and 
attended the Kentucky conference in Versailles in October. 
From thence he went, to Tennessee, and spent the winter with 
his friends, visiting the neighbouring societies, and preaching 
frequently as he was able. In March, 1828, he set out in com- 
pany with two of the delegates from the Tennessee conference, 
for Pittsburgh, the seat of the General Conference, and arrived a 
few days before its commencement. Although he was unable 
to preside, his presence and counsels were highly appreciated 
by the conference, especially in regard to some very important 
transactions. At this conference, although trembling on his 
staff, and pressed beneath the weight of more than seventy years, 
and the cares inseparable from his office, his mind was peculi- 
arly peaceful and tranquil, and his spirit was greatly comforted 



REV. WILLIAM m'kENDREE. 



31 



in prospect of the establishment of the harmony, and the increas- 
ing prosperity of the Church. 

After the close of the conference, he went down the Ohio 
River to Maysville, and visited Lexington and Frankfort, and 
attended the Kentucky conference at Shelbyville. From thence 
he proceeded to Terniessee, and prepared to go to the south. 
After visiting and preaching in a number of towns, and attend- 
ing six or seven camp and quarterly meetings, he set out for 
Georgia, through the Cherokee nation. This was a difficult, 
laborious, and dangerous route. He passed the Lookout Moun- 
tain in the nation under circumstances of trial and peril. He 
preached a number of times to the Indians, attended their grand 
council of the chiefs, and proceeded by way of Athens, Lexing- 
ton, and Greensborough, to Milledgeville ; thence to Sparta and 
Petersburg, and crossing the river Savannah at Romberts, vis- 
ited several districts in South Carolina, and recrossed t!ie Savan- 
nah to Augusta ; preached a number of times both to the whites 
and the colored, and proceeded to Savannah. From this city 
he passed into South Carolina, visited several plantations, in- 
structed the slaves, and attended the conference in Charleston. 
He continued his route throuo^h South Carohna, North Carolina, 
and Virginia, attended the conference at Lynchburg, and after 
spending some time in visiting the Churches in the lower parts 
of Virginia, attended the Baltimore and Philadelphia confer- 
ences, and returned by the District of Columbia : again crossed 
the Alleghany Mountains, and atterided the Ohio conference at 
Urbana, and the Kentucky at Lexington, and spent the winter 
in Nashville and its vicinity. 

During the spring and summer of 1830, he was unable to 
travel very extensively, but visited the Churches and attended 
popular meetings, as his strength would admit. In October he 
attended the Kentucky conference, and notwithstanding his age 
and infirmities, he had it in contemplation to visit South Caro- 
lina, and meet all the Atlantic and northern conferences as far 
as the Genesee, before the sitting of the General Conference in 
Philadelphia, in the spring of 1832. In the judgment of those 
friends who were best acquainted with his delicate state of healthy 
this project appeared to be rather the result of unabated zeal in 
the great and blessed work in which he was engaged, than any 
deliberate calculation with regard to his physical pov/ers to 
accomplish it. His whole soul was absorbed in the enterprise^ 
and, in view of it, he seemed to have lost sight of himself. 

He was advised, as he would have effective aid, to visit the 
Holston conference^ as an experiment of his ability to accomplish 
his contemplated tour. To this he yielded with readiness and 
apparent pleasure. The distance was between three and four 
hundred miles, over the Cumberland Mountains, and the greater 
part of the way a very rough road. However, the journey was 
commenced ; but before he arrived at Knoxville, it became very 
obvious that he was sinking; and many fears were entertained 



32 



SERMON ON THE DEATH OF 



for the result. Bat the journey was continued under such weak- 
ness and general prostration as required that he should be hfled 
into and out of his carriage, and this, frequently, ei2:ht or ten 
times in the course of the day. But all was patient suffering ; 
not a murmur, not a complaint escaped his lips. And although 
his travelling companion, in removing him from his carriage, 
and replacing him in it, could not refrain from shedding tears 
of affection and sympathy over this aged, venerable, and perse- 
vering minister of Jesus Christ, those tears would be met with a 
smile of heavenly resignation, and with expressions of gratitude 
for the attention paid him in his afflictions. He reached the seat 
of the conference a day or two after the commencement of the 
session; but was unable to attend to any business, and only 
visited the conference room once, and then remained but a few 
moments to give the preachers a kind of apostolic valedictory. 
He Avas confined to his bed the greater part of the time during 
the session, and at its close was able to sit up but little. Under 
these circumstances, he consulted some of his old and well-tried 
friends in regard to his future course. He was assured that, in 
their judgment, it was impracticable for him to prosecute his 
contemplated continental tour, and consequently they advised 
him to return by slow and easy stages, as his feeble state would 
admit, and spend the ensuing winter at Nashville and its vicinity, 
without farther exposure. His reply was prompt and emphatical, 
approve your judgment^ and sub?nit.^^ But it was obvious 
that, although his mind was fully convinced of the fitness of this 
course, his heart w^as in the great work which he viewed with 
so much interest, and which he ardently desired to accomplish 
before his departure. It was observed that, when he relinquished 
this enterprise, the tears flowed freely from his e3^es. But to re- 
cross the range of the Cumberland Mountains, a distance of more 
than three hundred and fifty miles, through a mountainous coun- 
try, in rocky and dangerous roads, and the season far advanced, 
was both a difficult and hazardous undertaking in his delicate 
and almost helpless condition. But the most formidable diffi- 
culties must yield to circumstances so imperious. 'J'he journey 
was commenced the next day after the conference closed, and 
continued with patient perseverance till he was safely lodofed at 
his brother's, in Sumner county. This journey was a mingled 
scene of suffering, patience, and comfort. On the way he tra- 
velled through heavy falls of rain, and sleet, and snow. And 
although every motion of the carriage over rough places, rocks, 
or roots, gave him severe pain, his mind was tranquil and cheer- 
ful. As soon as the roads became comfortable in the spring of 
1831, he left his winter retreat, and travelled slowly through 
Kentucky and Ohio, attending quarterly and camp meetings, and 
visiting the societies, and preaching frequently. In the fall he 
crossed the Alleghany Mountains, and passed the winter in Bal- 
timore and its vicinity. In May, 1832, he attended the General 
Conference in Philadelphia. He lodged with liis old and long- 



REV. WILLIAM m'kENDREE. 



33 



tried friend, Dr. Sargent, where unremitting, cordial, and affec- 
tionate attention was shown him by the kind and amiable family. 
He was very feeble, frequently unable to reach the conference 
room ; and when he did, was seldom able to remain but a short 
time. On these occasions he went in and out before this body 
of ministers like an ancient patriarch, silvered over with age^ 
and leaning upon his staff, leaving a kind of presentiment in the 
mind of the preachers, that this would be his last visit on such 
an occasion. His discourse on the death of Bishop George, and 
the ordination of two brethren elected by the General Conference 
to succeed him in that sacred office, will never be forgotten while 
those who heard it live. 

At the close of the conference he took an affectionate leave of ■ 
his friends, and especially the preachers, as though he expected 
to see them no more, till he met them in the heavenly city. He 
returned to Baltimore, and after resting a few weeks, and enjoy- 
ing the society and conversation of many to whom he had been 
long united in the bonds of Christian love and friendshipj he set 
out for the west, and crossed the Alleghany Mountains, v/hich 
he had so often crossed in weariness and affliction before, for the 
last time. He passed through the western part of Pennsylvania, 
the north of Virginia, the state of Ohio, and Kentucky, to Ten- 
nessee. In the latter part of this journey it became necessary to 
fix a bed in his carriage^ on which he might lie down, being too 
feeble to support himself on the seat. The following year he 
spent chiefly in west Tennessee, visiting various parts of the 
work, attending popular meetings, and preaching in the power 
and demonstration of the Spirit. In January, 1834, he visited 
Natchez, New- Orleans, and AVoodville, passing down the Cum- 
berland, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers by steamboat. He preached 
on board the boat, and in the several places he visited, with an 
energy and effect truly astonishing. In the spring of 1834 he 
returned to Nashville, visited and preached in different places 
through the summer, and in the fall attended the Tennessee 
conference. He preached for the last time in the new church in 
Nashville, on Sabbath, the 23d of November, 1834. Here ended 
the pulpit labours of this venerable minister of the Gospel of 
Jesus Christ, who had travelled and preached for almost half a 
century. Here that penetrating, yet pleasant voice, which had 
been heard with delight by listening thousands, in almost all the 
populous cities in these United States, and which had sounded 
forth the glad tidings of salvation in the cabins of the poor on 
the remote frontiers, or to numerous multitudes gathered toge- 
ther in the forests of the western territories ; and which savage 
tribes had heard proclaiming to them the unsearchable riches of 
Christ, died away to be heard no more. Here he finished the 
ministration of the words of eternal life, and closed his public 
testimony for the truth of the revelation of God. In the latter 
part of December he removed from Nashville to his brothers, 
which was his last travel. From this time it was obvious that 

5 



34 



SERMON ON THE DEATH OF 



he Was gradually sinking to the repose of the tomb. But he had 
one more conflict before the warfare was accomphshed. From 
the time that Bishop M'Kendree became unable to perform the 
entire eflective work of a general superintendent of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, his mind was frequently deeply exercised with 
the apprehension that he might become unprofitable in the vine- 
yard of his Lord. And it would seem as if he sometimes thought 
nothing was done, unless he could compass the whole work as 
he had been accustomed to do in the days of his strength and 
vigour. He had for many years moved with the foremost in 
activity and perseverance, and the idea of following in the rear, 
and being left behind, was painful to him, and frequently drew 
tears from his eyes. And this sentiment often led him to exer- 
tions and labours far beyond his strength. This fear that he should 
outlive his usefulness in the Church of God, and become unpro- 
fitable to his fellow creatureS; was the last afflicting exercise of 
mind through which he passed ; and from this he was speedily 
and happily delivered by the prayer of faith. He sunk patiently 
and sweetly into all his heavenly Father^s will, and waited in 
lively hope and abiding peace for the hour of his departure. — 
The inward conflict had ceased: his confidence in God was 
unshaken ; faith, strong and unwavering, stretched across the 
Jordan of death, and surveyed the heavenly country. With such 
sentiments, and in such a peaceful and happy frame of mind, 
the dying M'Kendree proclaimed in his last hours, ^^AU is icell.'' 
In this emphatical sentence he comprehended what St. Paul ex- 
pressed, in view of his departure from the world and exaltation 
to an eternal inheritance: "For I am now ready to be offered, 
and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good 
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Hence- 
forth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which 
the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day." The 
last connected sentences which ever dropped from the lips of this 
aged and devoted servant of God, who for almost half a century 
had made Jesus Christ, the same ^^esterday, and to-day, and for 
ever, the e7id of his conversation, were : All is icellfor time, 
or for eternity, I live by faith in the Son of God. For me to 
live is Christ ; to die is gain. 

' Not a cloud doth arise to darken my skies, 
Or hide for a moment my Lord from my eyes.'" 

In this calm and triumphant state of mind he continued till he 
sweetly "slept in Jesus," at 5 o'clock, P. M., March 5th, 1835, 
in the seventy-eighth year of his age. " Let me die the death 
of the righteous ; let my last end be like his." 

After the notices which have been taken of our beloved and 
lamented bishop in the foregoing sketches of his life, it might 
seem unnecessary to add any thing farther. But I cannot feel 
fully satisfied of having discharged my obligation, in this solemn 
and interesting subject, without a brief and more summary view 



REV. WILLIAM m'kENDREE. 



35 



of his character. But to do this in a suitable manner, to say 
neither too mu'ch nor too Uttle, is not an easy task. It will be 
difficulty nay, it will be impossible to satisfy all. Some will think 
too much, others too little, is said. But without undue regard to 
either, I will endeavour, according to my ability, to speak the 
truth and nothing but the truth^ without fear or flattery. That 
Bishop M'Kendree had faults is certain. It is equally true that 
he was deeply sensible of them. Of him it might be said with 
the strictest propriety — 

" He felt an idle thought, an actual wickedness, 
And mourned for the minutest fault, with exquisite distress." 

But his faults, or rather his infirmities, were always on virtue's 
side, and scarcely deserve to be named, in view of the excellen- 
cies which adorned and dignified his moral, Christian, and minis- 
terial character. 

If clearness of conception, richness and variety of sentiment, 
judicious arrangement and association, strength of argument, 
zeal, as the effect of conviction of the truth and importance of 
the subject, simplicity and purity of language, powerful appli- 
cation, and above all, the unction of the Holy Spirit^ constitute 
a pfreat and good preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Bishop 
M'Kendree has a just title to that character. His personal ap- 
pearance in the pulpit was always dignified, and his action, 
chaste and unostentatious. His voice was clear, harmonious, 
and pleasant, possessing, not unfrequently, peculiar strength and 
energy. 

His preaching was always heard by the attentive and candid 
with pleasure and profit, and frequently with applause by every 
class of the community. His discourses were full of sentiment, 
and he never employed words only as the representatives of 
ideas. It was very obvious to the attentive hearer that much 
close thinking had been bestowed on his subjects ; but he used 
no elaborate method of communication. No quaint sentence-5, 
or phrases beyond the comprehension of his hearers, esca])ed 
from his lips ; but his style was chaste, and frequently nervous. 

Bishop M'Kendree very justly considered the Divine oracles 
to contain the subject matter of the Christian ministrv, and to 
be the best directory with respect to the manner of tedching, as 
well as the matter to be taught. Out of these sacred records he 
was not known to travel in his public ministratioti of the word. 
In them he was deep read, and always at home. Few men have 
ever entertained clearer or more just views ol the leading and 
fundamental doctrines of the Christian reveUtion ; and few men 
have ever exhibited, illustrated, and appl>ed them with greater 
efiect. He had a talent peculiar to hinzself for illustrating the 
doctrines and obligations of religion by the most appropriate 
figures drawn from nature or art. In these illustrations he sel- 
dom failed to produce the most happy effect. He was an accu- 
rate and admiring observer of nature, and he drew from her 



36 



SERMON ON THE DEATH OF 



exhaustless depositories abundant means of setting forth the ad- 
mirable analogy and perfection of the Gospel. Nor was he 
inattentive to the different occupations and pursuits of men, or 
even to the incidents of civilized or savage life, so far as he could 
use them for the purpose of giving efficiency to religious instruc- 
tions, either to the believer or unbehever. As a striking example 
of this happy talent, it may be remarked, that the short, but com- 
prehensive sentence by which he expressed his complete victory 
over the fear of death, and his confident assurance of a heavenly 
inheritance, was first taken from a sentinel, at a post where dan- 
ger might be apprehended, and consequently where a watch was 
needful. From this station the sentinel was heard to cry, at 
measured periods, " All is welV^ I need not say how happily, 
and how appropriately, this expression of security and triumph 
was employed by this veteran soldier of the cross of Jesus, who 
had for so many years remained a faithful sentinel on the walls 
of Zion. He did not preach the doctrines of the Gospel as sub- 
jects of abstract science, or theoretical speculation ; but brought 
them home to the hearts and consciences of the hearers. If he 
spoke of the natural depravity of the human heart, he made the 
audience feel that they were depraved. If he reasoned of right- 
eousness, and of judgment to come, his hearers trembled, while 
their consciences joined issue with the revelation of God. And 
so clear and powerful were his appeals on the subject of future 
accountability and retribution, that it would almost seem to the 
listening assembly that the judgment was set, and the books 
open. The Divinity of Christ, the extent and fulness of the 
Divine atonement ; the riches, and plenitude, and freeness of 
the gracious provisions of the Gospel : the perfect suitableness 
of the system of salvation in all its requirements, and helps, and 
promises, to the condition of depraved, sinful, and guilty crea- 
tures ; the blessed effects of a voluntary submission to the pro- 
posed terms — to be saved by grace, through faith ; and the fear- 
fnl consequence of rejecting Christ, and his salvation, were 
subjects on which he dwelt with a clearness of conception, 
strength of argument, and power of conviction, of which there 
are nu many examples among his cotemporaries in the Chris- 
tian ministry. 

Who has ever heard Bishop M"Kendree preach a sermon in 
which expeiimental and practical godliness were not distinctly 
presented and strongly enforced ? I never did, although I have 
heard him many times. Conviction, conversion, sanctification, 
or perfect love, producing a sincere and joyful obedience to all 
the commands of v^od, were interwoven with all his public, as 
well as his private ministrations. But above all there was an 
unction from the Holy One, a Divine energy attending his mi- 
nistry. His preaching vas in the " demonstration of the Spirit, 
and of power." Few preachers since the days of the apostles 
have had more fruits of their labours. Who can reckon up the 
Iiumber that will appear in the morning of the resurrectionj 



REV. WILLIAM m'kENDREE. 



37 



clothed with white robes, and decked with crowns of glory, who 
were brought to the knowledge of salvation through his instru- 
mentahty ! 

But, while we remember Bishop M'Kendree as an excellent 
and useful preacher of the Gospel, we must not forget him as a 
wise and judicious ruler in the Church of God. For twelve 
years he filled the responsible office of a presiding elder, and for 
nearly twenty-seven years he sustained the office of a general 
superintendent of the Methodist Episcopal Church. During this 
long period of official services, many cases of great importance, 
and of no ordinary difficulty^ occurred in the course of the ad- 
ministration of the government. Bat he travelled through these 
cases with such patience of investigation, and rectitude of design, 
and arrived at a decision with such clearness as seldom failed to 
Sfive universal satisfaction. And it is a remarkable fact that 
durino; the whole period of his official oversight, he never was 
accused, before any tribunal having jurisdiction in the case, of 
having departed from the principles of the constitution, or the 
rules of the Church; or of having used the authority which had 
been committed to him for the administration of the government, 
for any other purpose, or to any other end, than what was origi- 
nally designed. It is true this venerable man was charged by 
individuals, and in inflammatory publications, with the " love of 
"power^^ and with the " abuse of the episcopal prerogatives?^ 
But never xoere charges more groundless. Never were charges 
more feebly sustained. No man whom I have ever known pos- 
sessed a more just apprehension of the nature, extent, and uses 
of the authority with which he was invested, than Bishop M'Ken- 
dree. And no man ever exercised that authority with more per- 
fect subjection to constitutional guards, and with a more sincere 
and conscientious design to employ it, not for personal emolu- 
ment, but for the specific purposes for which it was given. Men 
in every age of the world, who have been restless under the le- 
gitimate administration of laws, and indisposed to be " subject 
to the powers that be," have been accustomed to exclaim against 
the love and the abuse of power. And in cases where they have 
succeeded in transferring authority from other hands, to their 
own, history will give information of the manner in which they 
have used it. 

Bishop M'Kendree's course in the administration was govern- 
ed by an enlightened and extensive view of the whole system. 
He distinctly apprehended the relation which the several depart- 
ments of the government sustained to each other, and the con- 
stitutional powers which belonged to each. And it was his con- 
stant aim to preserve those powers in such a balance, and subject 
to such checks and restrictions, as would secure the right of all, 
establish the union and peace of the Church, and preserve the 
uniform and judicious administration of wholesome discipline. 
It is certain that this great man possessed a strong and ardent 
attachment to the system of Methodism. But this attachment 



38 



SERMON ON THE DEATH OF 



was the result of conviction, consequent upon the thorouo;h ex- 
amination of the principles and designs which the system em- 
braces, and the suitableness of the principles to the accomplish- 
ment of the ends. He was firmly persuaded that a " preneral 
itinerant saperintendency," as secured by the constitution of the 
Church, with sufficient powers to administer the government, 
and responsible to the General Conference for the use of those 
powers, was of vital importance to the preservation of the itin- 
erant system, to a uniform administration of the Discipline, and 
to the internal union and harmony of the body. With such 
views he uniformly deplored the existence of measures which 
had a tendency either to deprive the superintendency of those 
prerogatives which were essential to its very existence, or so to 
restrict its power as to render it inefficient, and consequently 
to bring it into contempt. 

Bishop M'Kendree was never satisfied with a superficial view 
of any important proposition. He was accustomed to trace prin- 
ciples, either in doctrine or government, in their practical ope- 
ration, and either to sustain or disprove them by pointing out 
with a clearness peculiar to himself, the certain results. In this 
way he aimed to give a permanency to the principles of the 
government, and to the executive administration. 

Upon the most careful examination, after an intimate acquaint- 
ance for many years, I know of no essential quaUfication of an 
ecclesiastical ruler which our dear departed bishop did not pos- 
sess in an eminent degree. He was well acquainted with men. 
He had read human nature in all its diversified character. He 
well understood the principles and ends o^ Church government. 
He was calm and deliberate in his official acts. His mind was 
too pure and elevated to admit of partiality in the exercise of 
the functions of his office. While his heart was susceptible of 
the tenderest friendships, and alive to the purest and most ex- 
quisite sympathies of which human nature is capable, he was 
firm and unyieldmg in his adherence to those principles which 
he had established for the government of his administration. In 
fixing the stations of the preachers at the annual conferences, it 
was his uniform practice to obtain all the information in his 
power, from the various sources to which he had access, relative 
to the state of the whole field of labour, and the qualifications 
and circumstances of the preachers who were to cultivate it. 
This information being obtained, he was always disposed to seek 
the aid of the views and counsels of those whose experience and 
office qualified them to be useful helpers in this highly responsi- 
ble work. And conscious of the imperfection of all human 
knowledge, and of the insufficiency of human agency, and of 
his liability to err, the whole was submitted in humble prayer 
for Divine direction, for the forgiveness of faults, and for success 
to attend the well-meant endeavours to advance the interests of 
the Redeemer's kingdom. In the performance of this important 
branch of his officfal oversight. Bishop M'Kendree deeply sym- 



RKV. WILLIAM m'kENDRKE. 



39 



pathized with the preachers of his charge, and their famihes, in 
their labours, privations, and sufferings. With him it was a 
sacred principle to yield to individual accommodation, in con- 
sideration of age, afflictions, or family circumstances, as far as 
it could be done consistently with the good of the whole. But 
if after the most careful and impartial examination, such indi- 
vidual convenience appeared to him to be detrimental to the 
general interest, there was neither hesitating nor compromise 
with regard to his course. Individual accommodation must 
always submit to the pubhc good. But he never bound heavy 
burdens, and laid them upon other men's shoulders, which he 
himself was unwilling to bear. Who has known any man more 
ready and willing to endure all the labours, and sacrifices, and 
sufferings of a Methodist preacher? By such a course. Bishop 
M'Kendree established and retained the affpctionate and respect- 
ful confidence of the preachers and people over whom he pre- 
sided, and whose interests he had deeply at heart. And in his 
prudent^ mild^ and firm administration of the government, he 
has left a worthy and illustrious example for the imitation of 
those who may succeed him. 

In his Christian character our beloved bishop was eminently 
a " pattern of good works." He had a deep and abiding sense 
of his dependence upon the grace of God^ through Christy both 
for wisdom and ability to perform his duties in such a manner 
as to be approved of God^ and, profitable to 'men. Under the 
influence of this conviction, and fully apprised of his liability to 
err, he was "clothed with humihty," and "prayed without 
ceasing." He was a man of daily ^ habitual, and fervent prayer. 
He "lived by faith," and "walked closely with God." 

He was a zealous and uniform friend of those institutions, 
both literary and religious, which were established and patron- 
ized by the Church, and which had for their objects the im- 
provement of society, the glory of God, and the salvation of 
souls. These institutions he supported by his personal visits, 
by his prudent and encouraging advice, by suitable representa- 
tions of their characters and claims, and by liberal contributions 
of money, to the full extent of his means. He took a very deep 
interest, particularly in the missionary and Sabbath-school soci- 
eties. He considered those associations as most efficient auxili- 
aries to the preaching of the Gospel, in " reforming the continent, 
and spreading Scriptural holiness over these lands." He ne- 
glected no opportunity of visiting the Sunday schools, and meet- 
ing the societies, and encouraging all concerned in them to 
zealous perseverance. He had thoroughly examined the prin- 
ciples of the General Book Concern, and regarded it as one of 
the most important institutions for the promotion of Christian 
knowledge and piety. He viewed it in the light of a noble and 
extensive Christian charity, diffusing the blessings of moral and 
religious truth ; and, at the same time, supplying the means to 
feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and leUeve the wants of the 



40 



SERMON ON THE DEATH OF 



widow and fatherless. As such it had his cordial support. His 
liberality in the use of the limited means he possessed was strik- 
ingly expressive of that principle of love to God and his neigh- 
bour which influenced all his actions. This liberality was divided 
with a strict and conscientious regard to economy and utility, 
between benevolent institutions, houses of public worship, and 
needy individuals ; of the latter, the widows and orphans of 
those preachers who had laboured, and suffered, and died in the 
itinerant ministry, were special objects of his kind attention. 

Bishop M'Kendree was grave, yet generally mild and cheerful 
in his conversation and manners. Who ever heard from the lips 
of this devoted servant of Christ, vain, or trifling, or unprofitable 
conversation ? Who ever saw him unemployed, or employed to 
no valuable purpose ? In this respect he has left an example 
worthy of the imitation of all Christian ministers. In a word, 
he exercised all the Christian virtues in an eminent degree, and 
for the most valuable purposes. With him patience was the 
poiver of suffering. Faith was a Divine conviction of things 
not seen. A living and abiding confidence in God, through 
Christ, effecting a personal interest in all the great and precious 
promises, and producing as its fruit, a humble, and willing, and 
joyful obedience to the commands of God. The hope of the 
Gospel was the anchor of his soul ; the love of God was shed 
abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost ; even that love which 
" sufl^ereth long^ and is kind ; doth not behave itself unseemly, 
seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil ; 
beareth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things, and 
which never faileth." This was the ground of his zeal for God, 
and for the salvation of the souls of men. It was the constrain- 
ing principle which inspired and governed his actions, and gave 
life and vigour to all his religious duties. 

As a man, as well as a Christian and Christian minister, our 
venerable friend had a refined and exalted sense of propriety 
and consistency of character. 

He had examined the relations and obligations of man in a 
state of society with great carefulness and accuracy ; and his 
views of the relative duties were clear and elevated. And in his 
intercourse with his fellow men he was strictly governed by these 
enlightened views. 

He rendered honour to whom honour was due — was gentle to 
all men. Yet he would reprove offences as occasions and cir- 
cumstances required, without undue respect of persons. 

In conversation he was chaste, unassuming, and respectful — 
always interesting and profitable, and sometimes peculiarly ani- 
mated. 

He was unembarrassed in the presence of those who move in 
the scientific and elevated walks of life ; and his condescension, 
kindness, and affability inspired the humble poor with confidence 
and esteem. To the servant and his master he was, on all suit- 
able occasions, equally accessible. He was exquisitely sensible 



REV. WILLIAM m'kENDREE. 



41 



of any departure from the principles of purity and propriety, 
either in conversation or actions. And in every class of society 
in which he moved, he aimed, as far as it could be done, " to 
please his neighbour, for his good, to edification." 

To sum up all in a few words — in the character of Bishop 
M'Kendree, now with God in the heavenly place, beyond the 
breath of human praise or blame, were combined the essential 
qualifications of a great, and good, and amiable man ; a senti- 
mental, pious, and devoted Christian ; a prudent and conscien- 
tious ruler in the Church of God ; and an able, zealous, and 
useful minister of the Gospel of Christ. 

Finally, brethren, let us remember our dear departed pastor 
and bishop, who has had the rule over us, and who now rests 
Irom the labours and sufferings of his militant charge. We ask 
not for him any pompous titles engraved on perishable marble. 
We ask not for him the external badges of mourning. We ask 
not that our pulpits be hung with the drapery of sorrow, or that 
the ministers of the sanctuary of our God should be clothed with 
the habihments of wo. We ask for him a purer, a more hal- 
lowed, and a more durable monument. 

O, let the picture of his heavenly virtues be deeply engraved 
on our hearts. O, let him long live in the memory, and affec- 
tion, and esteem of the ministers and people of his pastoral care 
and official oversight. Though our beloved M'Kendree be dead, 
he speaks to us from the mansion of the tomb. He speaks to us 
in the silent, but expressive language of a pure and illustrious 
example. Hark, my brethren, as if you heard from the sacred 
repository which now contains all that is mortal of our venerable 
friend, that charming voice so often raised to plead the cause of 
truth, and direct perishing multitudes to the " Lamb of God who 
taketh away the sin of the world." What language does he hold ? 
What instructions will he impart? Does he not say, "Brethren, 
be ye followers of me, even as I also have been of Christ ! Be 
men of one vocation and one work ! Be humble, steadfast, and 
zealous in your holy calling ! Be faithful to God, and to the souls 
of the people committed to your charge. Be men of prayer, and 
diligence, and punctuality." 

But while we regard him as an example for our imitation, let 
us remember him in his abundant labours, with gratitude to the 
Father of all mercies, for so great a blessing bestowed upon us. 
Let us remember him with humble and fervent prayer, that God 
would raise up and preserve in his Church men of like minds, 
who shall, like him, count all things but loss for the excellence 
of the knowledge of Christ Jesus their Lord, and glory only in 
the Redeemer's cross. Let us imitate him in that zeal and fide- 
lity with which he exercised the pecuhar functions of his holy 
office. And while we press forward in our heavenly Master's 
work, encouraged by the light, and comfort, and triumph of his 
^Hustrious example, let us trust in God, through our Lord Jesus 



42 



SERMON ON THE DEATH, ETC. 



Christ, waiting in earnest expectation, and lively hope of the re- 
surrection of the body, and hfe everlasting. 

God grant, my dear brethren, that like our venerable M'Ken- 
dree in the hour that closes the scenes of earth, and dissolves 
our relations to our militant charges, we may be able, in review 
of the past, and in prospect of the future, to proclaim, "All is 
WELL." Amen. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




027 261 393 A 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



027 261 393 fi^ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



027 261 393 fi # 



